Guardian: Another Soul to Lose
by bricann
Summary: Sequel to Guardian- Six months after Jayla's fall and defeat of the Dark Signers, Yusei is hiding his inner torment from all the others. He felt he could've done more; He felt he could've saved her; He promised her he would; And in the end, he couldn't. But now he may get a second chance. But new enemies are revealed while old ones still rest within her heart.
1. Darkness in the Most Trustworthy

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Yay! It's finally out! So, yeah, like I promised, this is the sequel to Guardian. You all begged and asked for this and I answered. I wasn't planning on doing a sequel, but after all of you seeming to want a sequel so bad, I gave in and said "Fuck it! Let's make them happy!" So now you have your wish! I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Darkness in the Most Trustworthy**

Third Person POV

It had been a total of six months since the defeat of the Dark Signers and the death of Jayla. Yusei was still torn up about it and never took off the necklace of Jayla's dragon scale. He never let his inner torment show to the others and kept a normal face. He knew the others would worry too much if they knew he was still hurting about Jayla's death. And it didn't help him to know that the others' Dragon Protectors were able to live on; but he wasn't able to save his. The others didn't even know of the scale necklace.

At the moment, Yusei was alone working on a duel runner engine he was designing for him, Jack, and Crow to use in the upcoming World Racing Grand Prix tournament. Yes, he may have promised to build a better engine for the tournament; but Yusei didn't tell them it was mainly to get his mind off of Jayla.

Yusei sighed and looked at the scale hung around his neck. He gently pulled it in front of his face. He closed his eyes and thought, _'I'm sorry, Jayla. I wish I could be stronger, but I want you here with me. More than anything…'_

He turned back to the engine when his mark lit up. He looked at it for a moment before a light lit up behind him. He turned behind him and looked to see some sort of light taking form of what seemed a person. He slowly stood up and approached it. There was a flash of light blinding him for a moment and forcing him to put up his arms.

When it dimmed and Yusei brought out his arms, he saw a person he never thought he would see again. _'Jayla…'_ he thought near tears. She was asleep and was gently set on the couch by the force that brought her here.

Yusei slowly and cautiously walked towards her. He touched her face gently and when he felt warm skin, he sighed in relief that she wasn't a figment of his imagination. He kissed her forehead gently and caringly. He couldn't ignore the mass of happiness and relief that he felt to have her here. It felt like his unsaid prayers were answered.

"Jayla… Thank god…" he whispered. "Just wake up soon."

Yusei reluctantly decided to let her stay on the couch for the time being. He turned back to the engine and worked on it for a bit, hiding his scale necklace under his shirt once again. After a bit, he heard a soft groan as the door opened. He turned as Jack, Crow, and their Dragon Protectors hurried in.

"Yusei, did your mark-?" Jack began but stopped as he put up his hand. He pointed to the couch where they saw a familiar girl sitting up with a hand over her eyes.

"Jayla?" Arch called.

She gave a slight gasp and lowered her hand. She kept her face down and Crow's Dragon Protector, Wing, looked at Arch. _"Sense something wrong with her?"_ he asked.

" _Yeah,"_ Arch answered. _"Something dark is in her."_

" _Think that the Earthbound Immortals' poison is controlling her a bit?"_ Wing asked.

" _Maybe,"_ he answered, not wanting to believe it. But that darkness inside Jayla felt too much like an Earthbound Immortal's. His fear is that when the Crimson Dragon brought her back, the Earthbound Immortals used their power to take control of her. Yusei stood up and Arch called, "Yusei, be careful." All the Signers in the room looked at him. "There's something off about her."

Yusei gave a small nod of acceptance and slowly approached her. He kneeled beside her watching her. "Jayla," he called softly. She went wide eyed seeming a bit hopeful when suddenly, she gripped her head and whimpering in pain. "Jayla!"

"Arch, what's going on?" Jack asked him.

"The Earthbound Immortals seemed to have left a piece of themselves in Jayla," he answered and they went wide eyed. "They're trying to control her."

"Arch is right. She has their dark power inside her. Not a lot, but enough for them to control her," Wing added.

"There has to be something one of you can do to get her back to normal!" Crow responded.

Before the two Dragon Protectors could respond, Jayla jumped on top of Yusei, pinning him down with ease with her eyes similar to a Dark Signer's. But his scale had fallen out of his shirt in the process. Her hand switched to that like a smaller version of Stardust Dragon's, claws sharp and she pressed them close to Yusei's neck. But Yusei saw fear and reluctance in her eyes. She was there!

"Jayla, I know you're in there! Fight the Earthbound Immortals! You've beaten them before and you can do it again," Yusei tried.

"Arch, Wing, why can't we go help him?" came Jack's questioning.

"The only one who can reach her is Yusei," Arch explained. "Even if it's only temporary, the only one who can bring her back and keep her back is Yusei. If there is any hope of bringing her back and keeping her normal, Yusei is it."

"Right," Wing asked.

Jack and Crow were tense and more than anything wanted to get Jayla off of Yusei. But they knew their Dragon Protectors were right. No matter if Jayla had become human or was controlled, she was still connected to Yusei in ways they couldn't conceive at the moment. He was their only hope of getting Jayla back.

"Jayla, listen to me. It's me," Yusei tried again. "I'm here for you. And I'll always be there for you." She went a bit wide eyed in recognition. "But I need you back to normal. This isn't the real you." He noticed her eyes were seeming to shift between her normal eyes that he had always known and the Dark Signer's. She glanced down and noticed the scale laying on top of his chest and gasped. "We're still connected through our bonds, Jayla. You know me, Jayla. I would never let you go." Her eyes finally returned to normal and her hand became its normal softness. She seemed shocked and confused and got off of him.

"Wh-What… What's going on? What happened?" she asked confused. "Why was I…?"

Yusei stood up slowly, watching her the entire time. "You back to normal, Jayla?" he asked her.

"I think. What happened exactly? Why was… Why did I…?" she couldn't finish.

"You kind of returned here a bit ago and when you woke up, you were being controlled by the Earthbound Immortals," Yusei explained and she looked at him again shock all over her face. "I'm fine, Jayla. At least, you're back to normal."

"But for how long?" Wing asked and they turned to him.

"She still has that darkness in there, Yusei. It isn't gone," Arch replied. "And from all signs, she isn't a complete Dragon Protector anymore." They all raised an eyebrow. "If she were, the Earthbound Immortals would never be able to take control of her like that. The Crimson Dragon may have taken most of her Dragon Protector side away from her. I sense she still has a lot of her abilities, but her dragon side…"

"Until we can find a way to destroy that dark energy inside her, she is at risk for being taken over again," Wing added.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen again," Yusei responded.

"So, if Jayla's Dragon Protector side is pretty much gone, does that mean she still has that stubborn urge to protect Yusei with her life?" Crow asked.

"Probably not," Arch replied. "This has never happened, so we can't say for sure. But I doubt it'll be so stubborn at the very least."

Yusei inwardly sighed in relief. That would help a lot more with him keeping her safe and okay. And with the situation right now, he would need all the help he could get. But Yusei was going to make sure nothing happened to her. _'I failed to do so the first time; I'm not going to fail this time. That's a promise,'_ he vowed.

 **Hey, guys! Well, that's the first chapter to the Guardian sequel. So, I hope Jayla not really being a Dragon Protector anymore pleases all your wants from the last story. I couldn't make Jayla an ordinary human because then there wouldn't be too much of a point to her being there other than the poison. She would end up like, at best, Leo. So she will retain some powers she had as a Dragon Protector.**

 **But as said in the chapter, the innate, stubborn urge to protect Yusei with her life is pretty much gone. As with all couples, they will want the others safe so there will still be a bit of protection going on, just not as stubborn as when she was a Dragon Protector. Hope you guys are satisfied with that. This was the best I could think of to do, so I'm sorry if it doesn't please you as well as I am trying.**

 **I will try my best to make it better as the story goes on. Just for now, bear with me. I'm doing my best to make this. We're** _ **all**_ **lucky enough I came up with this at the very least. So please don't be too harsh. If you have any ideas to make this relationship between Jayla and Yusei work out better, I would love to hear them. So send me PM's with the ideas and all that stuff. And just review and PM me telling me what you think so far.**

 **Until the next chapter, my wonderful readers!**

 **-bricann**


	2. Warnings

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Warnings**

Jayla's POV

That night, Yusei had me sleep next to him. He held me close and tight. Even if I made the slightly movement, he would pull me closer. Whatever had happened to me, it was only the beginning.

Now it was the next day, and I was helping Yusei make the engine after he had caught me up on everything that had happened since my death. I felt kind of bad putting him through such torment that I knew he had been put through, despite him saying otherwise. Yusei was also keeping his scale out for all to see, probably to ensure I didn't forget it was there and risk getting taken over again.

Jack and Crow were waiting over to the side as Yusei made a couple more touches before he called, "It's ready to be tested when you guys are ready."

"About time," Jack stated.

"Hey, Jack, how about a race?" Crow challenged.

Jack mounted the new duel runner, replying, "I won't lose to you." He then continued to speed up the accelerator.

"Jack! Stop, before it overloads!" Yusei warned.

"What did you say?!" Jack called over not being able to hear him and continued to accelerate.

"Slow down!" Yusei replied. But it was too late and a small explosion occurred as the result. They coughed at the smoke and Yusei asked, "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah," they answered.

"Jack, we told you to slow it down!" Crow stated angrily.

"How could I hear you over the noise?" Jack retorted.

"We were practically yelling," Crow replied.

They began to fight when a lady appeared at the entrance. "How dare you two cause such a commotion!" she yelled.

"Sorry, Zora. We'll be more careful," Yusei called to break up the fight.

Seeing Yusei, she calmed down and responded, "Oh, alright. Just don't hurt yourself." She then left, shooing away the formed crowd.

"I kind of have a bad feeling of something coming," I commented quietly. Yusei looked at me.

Arch nodded and said, "I do too. Something bad is coming."

"Worse than Jayla being controlled by Earthbound Immortals?" Jack asked.

"Not really sure," Wing replied. "We'll just have to be careful until we know.

It wasn't long after that, though, that Trudge and Mina came in after a couple knocks. "Hey, Trudge, Mina," Crow greeted.

Trudge noticed the remains of the duel runner and asked, "Isn't that, like, the eleventh duel runner you've broken?"

"Yeah," Yusei sighed.

"We need to be up to par for the World Racing Grand Prix," Crow stated.

"The better our duel runners are, the easier it'll be to win," Jack followed.

Trudge then noticed the female in the room. "Jayla?!" he exclaimed.

"I thought you were dead," Mina added.

"Long story," Crow responded. "We'll explain later."

Noticing their nervous atmosphere around them, Yusei asked, "Is something going on, Trudge?"

The officer sighed seeming defeated. "Have you ever heard of the Ghost?" he asked.

"I've heard rumors about him. They say he forces people into duels and causes them to crash," Crow replied.

"With the tournament's new rules, everyone will be using Speed World 2 instead of the standard Speed World. I want you three to help capture the Ghost," Trudge explained.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Crow refused. He began to rush them out, saying, "We have too much to do with getting ready for the tournament. Sorry but we can't." He then shut and bolted the door behind the officers.

"I have a bad feeling about not helping him," Wing commented.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Crow responded and Wing just shrugged.

"Let's get back to fixing the duel runner," Yusei suggested.

"I have to go make a delivery so I'll be back later," Crow stated.

"See ya, Crow," Yusei responded and Crow left with Wing following.

. . .

Later that night, Crow called over Yusei's duel runner monitor and informed, "Guys, something bad happened to Trudge. You need to get to the hospital."

"We'll be right there," Yusei responded and hung up.

He, Arch, Jack, and I, me riding behind Yusei at his order, were quick to reach the hospital and met Crow and Mina who were already there. Trudge was wheeled passed them but Trudge called the paramedics to stop so he could talk to Yusei.

"Yusei… don't use synchro monsters against the Ghost," he warned. He was then taken into an operating room.

"What happened?" Yusei asked the others.

"Trudge fought the Ghost," Mina explained. "We don't know anything else."

"I just saw Sector Security when they got to Trudge," Crow added.

"Sector Security will keep an eye out. You guys stay safe," Mina responded.

"Right," Yusei agreed and they left.

They reached their basement where Crow slammed his fists off the wall in annoyance with what the Ghost did to Trudge.

"Stop whining, Crow," Yusei told him and chucked him his helmet. Crow and Jack grinned at each other before they took off to find the Ghost. They then split up at the highway to cover more ground.

 **Sorry this is a bit short.**


	3. Dangerous Ghosts

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Dangerous Ghosts**

As the night got longer, Yusei was quickly met with the Ghost. He immediately contacted the other two and activated Speed World 2. He turned to Jayla behind him, "Hang on, Jayla." She nodded and held on tighter.

The road became a duel lane and the duel began. "I'll go first. I summon Wise Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode. I then set one card face down and end my turn," Ghost played.

"I summon Max Warrior (Attack 1800/ Defense 800)," Yusei declared. "Max Warrior, attack Wise Core! And due to Max Warrior's effect, it gains 400 attack points (Max Warrior: Attack 2200)."

"I activate Labyrinth of Kline! This reduces the battle damage to zero and prevents Wise Core's destructions. Also, your monsters attack and defense are switched until next turn's end phase," Ghost defended. And due to it being the end of the damage step, Max Warrior's attack dropped to 800.

"I summon Turbo Booster (Attack 0/ Defense 0) and use its effect. By releasing it, I can destroy your Wise Core," Yusei retorted.

Ghost laughed. "You just brought your own defeat! When Wise Core is destroyed by card effect, I can special summon Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity (Attack 0/ Defense 0), Wisel Top (Attack 500/ Defense 0), Wisel Attack (Attack 1200/ 0), Wisel Guard (Attack 0/ Defense 1200), and Wisel Carrier (Attack 800/ Defense 600)! And now I'll combine them to create the monster of your defeat. Meklord Emperor Wisel (Attack 2500/ Defense 0)!" he declared.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Yusei finished.

Ghost drew his card to begin his turn. "Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Max Warrior!" he ordered.

"I activate Shock Reborn!" Yusei activated. "This halves the battle damage." Max Warrior was destroyed and Yusei's life points dropped to 3150. "And then I use its other effect to revive Turbo Booster. "

"I set one face down and end my turn," Ghost finished, snickering.

Yusei drew. "I activate the Speed Spell- Angel Baton! By sending Gauntlet Warrior to the graveyard, I can draw two cards," he declared. "Next I summon Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000). Next I activate Debris Dragon's effect to revive Gauntlet Warrior! Now I tune Turbo Booster, Gauntlet Warrior, and Debris Dragon to synchro summon. Take flight, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" Yusei called. Jayla disappeared from behind him and he knew she was in her dragon form on the field. _'That must be one of the abilities that stayed with her,'_ he thought before turning back to the duel. "Next I activate Meteor Wave! This raises Stardust Dragon's attack by 300 (Stardust Dragon: Attack 2800) and it can also inflict piercing battle damage. Stardust Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity!"

"I activate Wisel Guard's effect to make it the attack target instead," Ghost defended. Meklord Emperor Wisel's arm was blown off by the assault, but due to Meteor Wave's second effect, the Ghost still took damage lowering his life points to 2400.

"I end my turn with one face down," Yusei finished. Meanwhile Meteor's effect expired, lowering Stardust's attack back to 2500.

The Ghost looked up Yusei's information on his duel runner's monitor and noticed he had defeated Goodwin. _'Yusei is still clueless,'_ he thought laughing a bit. He drew his card to start his turn. "I summon Wisel Guard 3 (Attack 0/ Defense 2000)," he declared, replacing Meklord Emperor Wisel's missing arm. Ghost laughed. "Meklord Emperor Wisel is invincible!"

' _I should be able to beat it if I can take out all the components at once,'_ Yusei thought. He then asked the Ghost, "Why are you targeting duel runners?"

"It is my purpose," Ghost replied. "I am the Synchro Killer and this is why. I activate Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity's effect! This allows me to equip my Emperor with your Stardust Dragon!"

"Stardust!" Yusei called as Meklord Emperor Wisel fired a number of energy beams, which strapped themselves to his dragon. Stardust struggled but was sucked into the machine. _'This is what Trudge meant when he warned me about using synchro monsters against the Ghost,'_ he thought.

"And now Meklord Emperor Wisel's attack increases by your dragon's attack (Meklord Emperor Wisel: Attack 5000)!" Ghost called. "Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Yusei directly!"

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! This negates your attack and allows me to reset it," Yusei defended himself.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Ghost finished.

Yusei drew his card and began his turn, "I summon Bicular (Attack 200/ Defense 200) in defense mode and set a face down to end my turn."

Ghost drew and called, "I activate Wise A3! This allows me to special summon Wisel Attack 3 (Attack 1600/ Defense 0) in replace of my Wisel Attack. And due to its effect, Meklord Emperor Wisel can inflict damage. Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Bicular!"

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Yusei played.

"I activate my face down, Battle Return!" Ghost intervened. "By halving Meklord Emperor Wisel's attack (Meklord Emperor Wisel: Attack 2700), it can attack again." It attacked again and took out his monster, causing Yusei to struggle to maintain control of his runner. "And then I activate Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity's effect which inflicts damage to you equal to your Stardust Dragon's attack." Yusei's life points fell to 650.

"I activate Bicular's effect. When it's destroyed, I can special summon Unicycular (Attack 100/ Defense 100) in attack mode," Yusei declared.

"And now we're at the end phase, meaning my Emperor's attack returns to a full 5400 attack points," Ghost reminded. "And then I activate Trap Recycle! By sending my Slip Summon from my hand to the graveyard, I can add battle return to my hand but I can't set it this turn. I end my turn there."

Yusei began his turn. "I activate Speed World 2's effect. By removing 7 speed counters, I can draw a card," he declared. Yusei began to concentrate and his mark of the dragon began to glow. On the opposite side of the field, Jack and Crow were watching and noticed theirs lit up as well. Then the marks all disappeared before returning to form the complete mark on Yusei's back. His deck glowed and Yusei drew his card. He looked at it. "First I summon, Majestic Dragon (Attack 0/ Defense 0)! Next I activate Synchro Material! This returns Stardust Dragon to my side of the field. And let's not forget, because Stardust Dragon returned to my field, your Emperor's attack loses its power boost it gained from Stardust Dragon (Meklord Emperor Wisel: Attack 2900). Now I tune Majestic Dragon with Stardust Dragon and Unicycular! I synchro summon, the Majestic Star Dragon (Attack 3800/ Defense 3000)!" Yusei looked at the dragon and thought, _'Crimson Dragon, help Jayla please…'_ He shook his head to return his attention to the duel. "I activate Majestic Star Dragon's effect. An effect negates the effects of Wisel Guard 3 and grants them to Majestic Star Dragon until the end phase. Majestic Star Dragon, attack Wisel Top and end this!" Wisel Top was destroyed and Ghost's life point dropped to 0. The Ghost's runner strayed off course and plummeted off the bridge and exploded on the ground beneath them.

. . .

Down below in a woodland area where the Ghost had crashed, a man walked over to the charred duel runner. He removed a part from the duel runner, containing the deck. He looked at Majestic Star Dragon and thought, _'Yusei must be responsible for this.'_ He then left with that.

. . .

After the man had left, Yusei, Jack, and Crow arrived at the scene. Crow touched the Ghost but jumped back in alarm as his robotic arm fell off.

"The Ghost was just a robot," Yusei realized. He walked over to the duel runner and grabbed the CPU chip from it.

. . .

Back at the garage, Trudge, who had recovered from his encounter with the Ghost, Mina, Luna, Leo, Akiza, Jack, Crow, and Yusei gathered around a table inspecting the photos Trudge had. Yusei explained a bit about Jayla being back beforehand by Akiza and the twins' request, but afterwards they turned to the situation at hand.

"The Ghost was a duelbot," Trudge told them.

"What's a duelbot?" Leo asked.

"It's a robot that was designed to do jobs on the highway that human Security couldn't. They were decommissioned a while ago," Mina explained. "Someone must've taken this one and reprogrammed it."

"But who?" Akiza asked.

Yusei handed Trudge the CPU chip from the Ghost's duel runner and informed the officer, "The chip was programmed to erase all its data was it lost."

"How did you gain access to the CPU so easily?" Trudge asked surprised.

"It was easy for Yusei," Crow replied. "He's better than Security."

Yusei then thought, _'We're about to face a new threat.'_


	4. Statement of the Weak

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Statement of the Weak**

Third Person POV

Two days later, Jayla and Yusei were working on the engine alone one day. Thankfully, Jayla had not had another incident in this time. But Jayla had seemed a bit confused since returning.

"Jayla, is something wrong?" Yusei asked and she looked at him confused. "You've been seeming really confused since you woke up." She looked down. "What's up, Jayla?"

"Yusei… I… I can't remember some… things," she replied.

"Like what?" he asked a bit worried.

"Who was it that I used to live with before I left home? How… How did I meet you?" the last part was quiet but Yusei could still hear it.

"You lived with a woman who took care of you until you reached the age she wanted you to leave. You officially met me in the Facility after speaking aloud by accident. You didn't show yourself until I asked and even then you didn't stay visible for long," Yusei explained. "What else can't you remember?"

"A lot of things, Yusei. They're all separate from each other with different areas that they're missing from, but they're distinct memories that I should have," Jayla replied.

"Is it possible the Earthbound Immortals are trying to erase your memories so I can't snap you out of it once they get control of you?" Yusei suggested.

"It's possible. But if that's true, how many are they going to take? And will I ever get them back?" she replied.

"We'll find a way, Jayla," Yusei responded. "Even if we can't save all the memories you lost, I'll make sure you don't lose anymore."

"Promise?" she responded.

"Promise," he vowed and she nodded. He pulled her into him and held her close. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you. Not again… Not while I'm alive." Jayla nodded slowly, placing a hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat. Yusei was instantly reminded of when she died considering she made the exactly seem movement, and placed his hand on top of hers to assure himself she was still there and still with him. _'Sometimes having her beside me again feels like a dream that I'll wake up from any moment. But I know this can't be a dream. It just feels too real;_ Everything _about it is too real,'_ he thought. Slowly, he whispered while pulling gently pulling away a bit, "Come on. Let's focus on the engine, alright? Focus being at each other's sides again, okay?"

"Okay," Jayla agreed softly. Yusei turned to the engine with her. "So you know," he looked at her again, "Ancient told me about a teacher at the Duel Academy who wants to expel Leo and Luna's class."

' _So she can still talk to the Dragon Protectors telepathically, then. Since I've been by her every second and she hasn't spoken to Ancient about something like that or alone… I guess I should've expected that,'_ he thought for a moment before turning back to what she had said, "Why would he want to do that?" Yusei asked.

"Something about using low-leveled cards because they are a 'low-leveled class'," I responded.

"Huh," Yusei responded. "Should I try to help them?"

"Well-" Jayla stopped as a knock tapped on the door. They turned as it opened to reveal a man, his face hidden by the shadow of a hat.

"Hello, can I help you?" Yusei greeted.

"Hello, I heard there was a good mechanic here," he stated.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Yusei asked.

"I'm having a mechanical problem and I could use someone named Yusei's help," the man responded. "I was told he was more than capable of helping."

"I'm Yusei. What's the mechanical problem?" Yusei asked.

"It's called Heitmann. It has a few screws loose that need tightening. Can you help?" he asked.

"Sure," Yusei answered. "I'll be over there later." The man nodded before leaving.

"And looks like you're going to be putting the teacher straight soon," Jayla commented.

"What do you mean?" Yusei asked.

"Heitmann isn't a machine," I explained. "It's a teacher at the Duel Academy that I was talking about. He's got a serious machine type deck according to what Ancient told me."

"Then we should probably head over there," Yusei responded. Jayla nodded and they hurried off.

Before they entered the Academy, Yusei turned to Jayla and asked, "Can you still turn invisible like when you were a Dragon Protector?" She nodded. "Then you should probably do so until I'm done with Heitmann. In case I get into a duel or something."

"Alright," Jayla agreed before disappearing.

Yusei sighed a bit. He didn't like her being invisible. But he didn't want to risk the chance of her being found with her powers in front of the class at the very least. She had enough on her plate as it was. After another second, he walked in slowly, preparing to face this man.

. . .

"That isn't right," Leo stated as the class complained.

"Be quiet!" Heitmann yelled. "No matter what you say, my decision to kick you out is final!"

"Why are we even being expelled?" Patty asked.

"Yeah, what did we do?" Bob added.

"You all have low grades and don't even deserve to be in this school," Heitmann replied. "This is New Domino City's best Duel Academy. As such, we are going to change to a more Higher-Leveled Class."

"What you're doing is wrong," Ms. Bartlett, the class' teacher responded. "All children have the right to duel. The chancellor has always said so and-"

"You might be surprised that this is also the chancellor's decision," Heitmann interrupted and she was, indeed, surprised. "The stubborn chancellor listened to what I have to say."

"Mr. Heitmann, please don't expel us," Luna begged.

"We are just now beginning to do our best," Leo added.

"You are in no position to say that. Especially you, Leo, who happens to be at the very bottom of this class," Heitmann responded.

"What are you talking about?" came Akiza's voice and they turned as she entered.

"You're Akiza," Heitmann stated.

"How can you be like that and still be proud to be a professor?" Akiza asked.

"A superior student like yourself would understand what I have to say," Heitmann responded.

"I don't," Akiza responded. "And I won't forgive any person who hurts children."

"It's alright, Akiza," Yusei chimed in as he walked in. Jayla was behind him invisible, watching closely as the scene unfolded.

"Aren't you Yusei who won the Fortune Cup?" Heitmann asked causing the class to get excited. "What brings you to our Duel Academy?"

"I was asked to fix a problem that was in this room," he answered.

"Nothing in the room needs to be fixed," Heitmann argued. "That is because the students are beyond fixing."

"You shouldn't even say that," Akiza scolded. "Do you really think judging people is based on grades alone? Stopping duels is a foolish thing."

"You are the one who is foolish," Heitmann retorted. "No matter how a low-leveled duelist duels, it is pointless. Every key card in the following duelists' decks are trash: Leo's Morphtronic Remoten, Luna's Kuribon, Dexter's Batteryman AA, Bob's Flamvell Guard, Patty's Hanewata, Sly's Eccentric Boy, and so on. That's because their duel level is low. Isn't that why they're using low level monsters?"

"You're wrong," Yusei told him. "Nothing in this world is useless."

"You are outsider and you have no right to interfere on this. You should just go home," Heitmann said. "Why are even here again?"

"Someone came to my place asking me to help fix you," he retorted. "Though he was vague and just said a mechanical problem in something called Heitmann, I could tell he was talking about you easily."

"How?" Heitmann asked.

"A couple friends of mine let me know about what they heard about this situation," Yusei half-lied. "They don't agree with you either." Jayla and Ancient looked at each other and grinned. "How about a duel, Heitmann?" the male Signer challenged. "If I win, you can't expel this class or any class."

"Very well," he agreed. "Even though an outsider has no right to duel."

Yusei's POV

I kneeled to the children's eye level as they wished him luck. "I need you guys to do me a favor," I told them. They looked at me confused. "I need to borrow the monsters that Heitmann called useless. This way I can teach him that you and your cards are never useless."

"Alright!" the kids agreed and handed over the cards.

. . .

Heitmann and I stood across from each other. "Let's see how well you can duel, girl," Heitmann taunted.

I stayed silent as I drew my card. "I summon Flamvell Guard (Attack 100/ Defense 2000) in defense mode and set two cards face down," I declared. "That ends my turn."

Heitmann drew his card. "I summon Ancient Gear Statue (Attack 500/ Defense 800)," he declared. "I then activate Machine Duplication to special summon two more Ancient Gear Statues. Next I activate the effect of my three Ancient Gear Statues. By tributing each of them, I can special summon three Ancient Gear Golems (Attack 3000/ Defense 3000) ignoring summoning conditions."

"I activate Tuner's Barrier! This prevents Flamvell Guard from being destroyed by battle or card effects until the end of the next turn," I called.

"Now my three Golems, attack Flamvell Guard," Heitmann ordered. Flamvell Guard wasn't destroyed but I still took damage from the Ancient Gear Golems' effect dropping my life points down to 1000. "Now I activate Level Thunder which inflict damage to you equal to the combined levels of all my face up monsters I control times 100. And the combined levels equals 24 meaning you'll take 2400 points of damage. Now wouldn't that strip you of your life points."

"Not quite, because by discarding Hanewata, I can make the damage I would've taken to zero," I fought.

"Wait, those cards…" Heitmann stated finally realizing my cards.

"That's right, Heitmann. These cards I'm playing are monsters that you called useless because they were low-leveled," I told him. "Now it's my turn!" I drew my card. "I activate Cards of Consonance. Now if I discard a card like Debris Dragon, I can draw two cards." I drew the cards. "Next I normal summon Eccentric Boy (Attack 800/ Defense 200) in attack position. Then I activate its effect to tune it with my Turret Warrior that's in my hand!" I nodded. "So I synchro summon to the field, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" I declared. My dragon took its stance beside me and everyone looked at it shocked. I knew Jayla was ready and knew well what I had planned. I knew this was bound to happen after what Jayla had told me and that's why I had her turn invisible at least until after the duel. This last move, though, would definitely finish Heitmann. "Next I activate Variety Comes Out! By returning Angelic Light Dragon to the extra deck, I can special summon Eccentric Boy, Hanewata (Attack 200/ Defense 300) and Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000) from my graveyard in attack position since their combined levels equal the level of Stardust Dragon. Next I activate Tuner's Explosion! By tributing Eccentric Boy, Hanewata, and Flamvell Guard, I can destroy all of your monsters and inflict damage to you for each monster destroyed." Heitmann's life points took the hit and fell to 1000. "Now Debris Dragon, attack him directly!" The attack succeeded and Heitmann's life points fell to nothing. "There are children who duel seriously and it doesn't matter about the level of the monsters used, Heitmann," I told him walking up calmly.

The man who informed Jayla and I of the problem earlier entered. "That was what I expected of you, Yusei. You tightened the screw like I needed," he stated.

"You're the chancellor that had come to see me earlier," I responded.

"I'm sorry for tricking you, but I wasn't able to persuade the stubborn Heitmann myself," he responded.

"Did you ask Yusei to defeat me?" Heitmann asked the chancellor.

"How was it?" the chancellor replied.

"I was wrong," he answered. The children ran down, cheering for the fact that I won and they got to stay. "Alright, I withdraw my expulsion request."

I handed back the cards to them and walked up to Sly who stood to the side. "Thanks for letting me use your card, Sly," I told him handing the card back. "I couldn't have won without it."

"Yeah," Sly simply replied and took the card back.

Jayla appeared from over to the side and walked over. I looked at her as she gave me an approving grin. "Let's go," I suggested. She nodded and followed me along with the children out.


	5. The Forest of Fears

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 5**

 **The Forest of Fears**

Third Person POV

Dexter, Leo, and Luna walked through a forest. A black bird flew off and Leo suggested, "Why don't we turn back?"

"It was you're idea to explore in the first place," Dexter pointed out. He pulled a crafty face and asked, "Are you scared?"

"I'm not scared!" he yelled and pointed a finger to Luna. "I was just thinking on whether or not Luna is scared."

"I'm fine, Leo," Luna responded simply. "Besides, we have Ancient. Right?"

"Yep!" came her voice.

"Alright. And I'm fine, too," Leo agreed. They continued with Leo a bit scared still, holding onto Dexter's back as they walked.

Though they didn't notice, Luna stopped while her brother and friends continued. She looked at a different direction and said, "This atmosphere… there's something here."

Suddenly, she was pulled into a trance and walked in the direction while Leo and Dexter continued to walk ahead. As Luna walked, Kuribon called and tried to tell her something urgent.

Shortly after, Regulus appeared and he said, "Luna, I can feel a strong spirit. You should turn back." An unseen force then caused the two spirits to disappear while Luna kept walking.

"Mistress, snap out of it!" Ancient called. "Please!" The young Signer still didn't budge. _'Whatever this place is, I need to find a way to get Luna out of here,'_ she thought.

. . .

Yusei and Jayla were hanging out at the garage and were talking to Jack and Crow. Crow then began to tell the two about a strange forest.

"Wait, the forest that spirits away?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah. Rumors about it have been appearing lately, that many people have gone missing from the forest," Crow explained.

"Know anything, Arch?" Jack asked.

He began to think. "If I'm thinking of the right forest, then I do know one that has a lot of dark energy around it. But it isn't like a dark energy from the Netherworld," she explained.

"Maybe a lost spirit," Wing suggested.

"What do you mean by that?" Crow asked.

"Sometimes a spirit of a person who died gets trapped in between the Heavens or Netherworld and Earth. It's not very common. But it's usually due to an emotional attachment or action the spirit had done when they were alive," Jayla explained. "When they're trapped, they tend to lose their way and they have to be reminded of what truly happened in order to find their way to the next life area depending on where they were supposed to go."

"Well, people are saying that it's a monster that lives in the forest," Crow responded.

"If it was a monster, Arch, Wing, or I would've sensed it long ago," the only female in the area retorted gently.

"Do you think there could be any relation to the incident with the Ghost?" Yusei asked.

Crow finished the sandwich he was eating and said, "You're thinking too hard. Kids love talking about legends and those sort of things, after all. Well, I'm heading off to work." He then left on his duel runner. Yusei was tense, not really sure what to think of it.

. . .

Back in the forest, Luna stepped on a twig causing her to return to normal. "Where am I?" she responded noticing the different layout then where she was before. "Leo!" she called. "Dexter!" A creepy noise was then heard which got Luna alert. "I knew it. There's something here." Suddenly, a vine began to come down and surround her. "Leo!" She closed her eyes fearfully. "Ancient…"

Ancient immediately appeared and placed a dome of light around her mistress. "That'll keep them from touching you," she told her.

"What about you though?" Luna retorted.

"I'll be fine," Ancient responded, but as that was said, a vine grabbed her arm. The young Protector sliced it off with ease. "See?"

"Heavy Storm!" called a voice and destroyed the vines closing around Luna. Ancient let down the barrier, but kept at ready to use it again. "Are you two alright?" asked a voice. As the smoke cleared, a boy walked up. "Are you hurt?"

"You're…" Luna trailed off, indicating to him to finish.

"My name is Haley. And you are?" he responded.

"I'm Luna," she answered. She looked at her protector. "And this is Ancient. A good friend of mine."

"It's nice to meet you. It's dangerous being alone. There are a lot of bad guys in the forest," Haley told her.

"Bad guys?" Ancient repeated uncertain.

"Would you like to come to my house? Claire will be happy to have a visitor," Haley asked. "You'll be safe there."

"You have a house out here?" Luna replied and followed him.

. . .

Back in the basement and Yusei's apartment, Yusei was working on parts of his duel runner with Jayla making a suggestion here and there.

"Yusei! Yusei!" called Dexter's voice. They turned as Dexter ran in. "Yusei!"

"What's wrong, Dexter?" Yusei asked.

"Luna went missing in the forest," Dexter informed, shocking both Yusei and Jayla. "Leo went looking for Luna in the forest too. And Ancient isn't anywhere either."

Yusei got up and asked, "Does this have to do with the forest that takes people?" Dexter gulped nervously and nodded.

"Stay here, Dexter. I'll go look for them," Jayla ordered beginning to walk out.

"I'm coming with you, Jayla," Yusei stated, making her stop. She shook her head in refusal. "I'm not arguing, Jayla. Do we really want to risk anything at the moment?"

She sighed in defeat. "But you stay here, Dexter. Contact us if they come back," she told the child. He nodded and Yusei took off on his duel runner with Jayla behind him.

. . .

Leo ran through the forest. "Luna!" he called. "Luna!" He stopped. "Luna!" Suddenly, a creepy noise was then heard and Leo got a bit scared. "What… is that?" He calmed himself down. _'Don't be scared, Leo. I have to hurry and find Luna,'_ Leo thought before running again, calling Luna's name.

. . .

Haley, Luna, and an uncertain and vigilant Ancient arrived outside a house. "We're here," he told her. He opened the door and they walked in. Haley closed the door behind them.

"So you're defeating the bad guys in the forest through duels?" Ancient asked.

"Yes. But nobody believes me," he replied.

"I believe you," Luna responded. "I can see duel monster spirits."

"So that's how it is. I was able to feel it when I first met you. You have an interesting power," Haley told her. He looked at Ancient. "Same with you, Ancient."

"Uh, thanks," Luna responded and followed him forward. They soon came to a door.

Haley called in as he opened it. "Claire, we have a guest," he told a girl in a bed.

"Uh, hello. I'm Luna," the Signer introduced.

"Claire, you should greet Luna as well," Haley responded. Not a movement was made from the bed she was in.

"Is she sleeping?" Luna asked.

"She always sleeps because she's ill," Haley answered. "She's always scared of the bad guys. I am the only one who can protect Claire."

"Are you the only ones in the house? What about your parents?" Ancient asked.

"They went gone away a long time ago. They didn't even say anything," Haley answered.

' _Claire's the same as me. Claire is afraid of the bad people like I am. And because I tend to be ill and frail, Leo protects me and takes care of me. Ancient does, too. And Haley's like me in a way too. He's discourages how his parents went away long ago and never said anything,'_ Luna thought. Haley suddenly walked to the window.

"What's wrong?" Ancient asked.

"Something is coming. It's a bad guy," he told her. "Stay here with Claire and don't leave the room."

"Wait! I'll go t…" Luna tried but was cut off by the door mysteriously shutting, shocking her.

"Something's wrong with this place, Mistress," Ancient responded. "We need to find a way out of here. Before you're hurt." She touched the door, but yanked it back. "There's a dark force surrounding this door."

"Like the one that poisons Dragon Protectors?" Luna asked a bit worried.

"No," Ancient answered. "It's a different kind of dark force. One similar to someone who is a spirit that's trapped here."

Outside the house, Leo walked up. "It's a big house. Luna couldn't be in there," he stated. Suddenly, the doors to the house opened up with so much force that the wind caused Leo to cover his eyes for a second. Leo uncovered his eyes and asked, "What is that?"

Haley appeared and pointed at him, saying, "You, bad guy, I won't let you take another step further!" He readied his duel disk. "Come duel me."

"Uh, why am I a bad guy?" Leo asked confused. "What're you talking about?" He stopped as he heard Luna call his name. He looked up at the window on the top floor and saw her. "Luna!" He ran forward towards the house. But the doors closed and Haley stood in front of Leo.

"I won't let you through," Haley told Luna's twin.

"Are you the one who took Luna?" Leo asked. "Why are you doing such a thing?" Haley remained silent. Leo took out his duel disk from his academy backpack and said, "I'll definitely take Luna back!" They pulled their five starting cards. He looked at Luna. "Luna… I'll definitely save you!"

"Leo…" Luna muttered from in the room.

Haley took the first turn and drew. "I activate the continuous spell card, Circle of Life!" he declared and a yellow circle appeared around the field. Haley walked onto the circle and explained, "Now we can't use any spell cards unless we discard a spell card during our turns. Let me show you my combo. I set Mirror Prison to the graveyard to activate the continuous spell, Circle of Terror!" A second circle appeared just outside the yellow one. "Now we can't summon monsters unless we discard a monster card from our hand during our turns." A black aura then surrounded the house Luna was in.

' _Is trapping Luna in there part of Haley's powers?'_ Leo thought and looked at his hand. _'I can't do anything now unless I discard cards from my hand.'_

"I send the zombie-type monster Sleeping Beauty to the graveyard to activate its effect. As long as Sleeping Beauty is in the graveyard, the zombie type monsters in my hand have their levels reduced by one," Haley explained. "Therefore, my level five Hollow Spirit becomes a level four. So I normal summon my Hollow Spirit (Attack 1200/ Defense 1000) in attack mode. Attack can't be declared on my first turn, but I will have you take Hollow Spirit's effect. When there's a zombie type monster in the graveyard, I can inflict 800 points of damage to you." Hollow Spirit formed blue energy of light that seemed to be sucked out of Leo whose life points fell to 3200. Leo yelled in pain from the attack. "I end my turn."

Leo stepped forward a bit and weakly asked, "What was that? It felt like an actual shock." He then thought, _'Is Haley a psychic duelist?'_ He shook his head. _'Get ahold of yourself! If I get scared of something like this, I can't save Luna! And it doesn't seem like Ancient can get her out of there. If she could I'm pretty sure Luna would be free.'_ He drew his card. _'I need to break that combo, or else.'_ He then declared, "I send Morphtronic Datatron to the graveyard."

"There's no meaning in just summoning a monster to break this combo," Haley said. "With Mirror Prison that I had just sent to the graveyard, most monsters cannot attack. But zombie and machine type monsters are safe from it."

Leo smirked. "That means it won't have any effect on my deck. I summon level three tuner Morphtronic Scopen (Attack 800/ Defense 1400) in attack mode," he declared.

"So you have a machine deck?" Haley asked surprised.

"That's right," Leo replied. "With Scopen's effect, I special summon the level four normal monster Morphtronic Videon (Attack 1000/ Defense 1000). Now I tune level four Morphtronic Videon with level three Morphtronic Scopen. Docking strength with courage in order to protect world peace. Synchro summon! The envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon (Attack 2300/ Defense 2500)!"

"You are quite lucky. But I won't lose to something without a soul," Haley told Leo.

"Don't make a fool of Power Tool Dragon. I activate its effect. This allows me to add one random equip to my hand," Leo declared. "I discard Morphtronic Cord from my hand to the graveyard and equip Power Tool Dragon with Break Draw!"

Suddenly a duel runner drove up causing both Leo and Haley to look in its direction. Yusei yanked to a stop next to Leo. Jayla was quick to land beside him, mere seconds after.

"Are you okay?" Yusei asked.

"Yusei! Jayla!" Leo exclaimed.

"So another bad guy has appeared," Haley stated. "But the girl… She's different. Like the other one." Jayla looked at him uncertain.

"There's something's wrong about this field…" Yusei started but Leo cut him off.

"I'm fine. So go rescue Luna!" Leo told him. He pointed to the window and said, "She's trapped up there."

"I got her, Yusei," Jayla stated.

"I won't let you take a step into the house," Haley stated. A dark aura began to surround Haley making Jayla step back a bit. Yusei immediately pulled her behind him protectively.

"He's a lost spirit," the female Dragon Protector stated.

"I'm your opponent, Haley," Leo told the boy. "Power Tool Dragon, attack Hollow Spirit!" Power Tool Dragon attacked Hollow Spirit, destroying it and causing Haley's life points to drop to 2900.

Haley let his guard down and in that moment drove his duel runner and broke down the door and drove inside before stopping. Jayla ran in after him.

"How dare you…" Haley began but Leo interrupted him.

"When Power Tool Dragon destroys your monster, I can draw one card," Leo explained and he drew his card.

Haley got angry and said, "Unforgivable… I won't forgive anyone who hurts my most precious person!" An evil, dark skull enveloped and surrounded Haley and Leo yelled in fear.

. . .

Yusei and Jayla turned hearing Leo's scream after Yusei was off his runner. "Leo…" the Signer muttered. Yusei turned to a picture hanging on the wall. "This is… I remember hearing that a long time ago, there were some people living here. Among them were two siblings," he recalled.

"It's true. A brother was taking care of his sister's illness but it made him sick," Keeo stated. "The brother passed away and it looks like the sister followed her brother as well."

"How do you know that?" Yusei asked.

"My past lives' memories are within my own as well," she replied. "Well, what is left of my past lives' memories."

"Losing those too?" Yusei questioned and Jayla nodded sadly.

Yusei sighed a bit, but nodded in acceptance. "Let's get moving," he suggested grabbing her hand and leading her up the stairs.

. . .

Back with Haley, the darkness continued to surround him and Leo wondered, "It couldn't be that he's a demon, right?! In that case, I can't lose. I won't hand Luna over to a demon."

"When Hollow Spirit is sent to the graveyard, another door to the graveyard opens. Show yourself, Hollow Ghost (Attack 2600/ Defense 0)!" A darkness appeared on the ground as Hollow Ghost appeared out of it.

"2600 attack points?! Just when I had defeated Hollow Spirit," Leo responded shocked. He calmed down and thought, _'I have to find a way to beat this guy.'_

. . .

Up in the room with Luna, she muttered in worry, "Leo…" But she stopped when she heard someone crying.

She and Ancient looked over to see a girl crying in a corner near the bed. "Big brother, where are you?" she cried.

"You, could you be…?" Luna said.

The girl continued to cry as she said, "Don't leave me alone here." She rubbed the wall calling out to her big brother once more.

"You're Claire," Ancient realized. "Where are you right now, Claire?" The girl however continued to cry "big brother" while rubbing the wall with her hands.

. . .

The duel between Leo and Haley continued. "I set a face down and end my turn," Leo finished.

"Even if you try to take my sister's life, it's useless! I will protect my little sister, Claire… even if I have to give up my own life!" Haley told Leo.

"You have a little sister?" Leo responded surprised.

"It's my turn," Haley called drawing his card. "Hollow Ghost, attack Power Tool Dragon!" A dark blast hit Leo's monster and Leo's life points dropped to 2900.

"Well, due to Power Tool Dragon's ability, by sending Break Draw to the graveyard, I can negate Power Tool Dragon's destruction," Leo defended.

"I activate Hollow Ghost's effect! When a card is sent to the graveyard, you are dealt 600 points of damage," Haley played. Hollow Ghost flew around Leo, blue energy sucked out of the Signer's brother while he yelled from the pain as his life points fell to 2300. "Next through Circle of Light and Circle of Terror's effect, I have to send a spell and a monster to the graveyard. I will then have you take 1200 points of damage through Hollow Ghost's effect." Leo yelled out in pain again as Hollow Ghost sucked more blue energy out of him and his life points fell to 1100.

. . .

In the house, Yusei spotted a dark aura enveloping a door ahead with Jayla. He began to walk over to it keeping Jayla's hand in his when he felt his girlfriend stop. He looked at the door next to him and heard voices coming from it.

"What're those voices?" Yusei wondered and reached to open the door.

Jayla gripped on a bit tighter making him look at her. "Yusei, something's wrong behind this door. Just… be careful," she told him.

"I will," he responded. He opened the door and to see cards with people trapped in them.

"This is almost like what Pegasus did to Mokuba and Seto Kaiba during Duelist Kingdom," Jayla muttered.

"What?" Yusei responded not having heard this before.

"I'll explain later. It's part of my past lives' memories," she replied.

One of the voices called out turning their attention to the cards, "Help me."

Another said, "Let me out of here."

"Could these be the people who disappeared in the forest?" Yusei wondered.

"Yeah… I think so," Jayla answered.

. . .

"I will now end my turn," Haley declared.

Leo huffed, a bit tired from the attacks. "I know you're trying to protect your sister," he said. "And I completely understand those feelings. That's why I definitely can't lose!" He then thought, _'This isn't about me. It's about Luna. Which is why one way or another, I'm going to win this duel!'_ Leo began his turn and drew his card. _'If these circles are what's trapping Luna, then I need to get rid of them.'_ He then played, "I reveal my face down, Morphtronic Impact Return! By returning a Morphtronic monster from my hand to my deck, I can return Circle of Life and Circle of Terror to your hand." This shocked Haley as the cards returned to his hand. The circles then disappeared along with the darkness that surrounded the house.

. . .

In the house, the aura around the room Luna was in disappeared. Yusei opened it calling Luna's name, to which she turned and responded by say both names.

The Signer and Dragon Protector walked over to her and Jayla asked, "Are you alright, Luna, Ancient?"

Luna just pointed over to Claire and said, "We have to save her. Or at this rate, we won't be able to save either Haley or her."

"Big brother," Claire cried. She then turned to the four of them, eyes showing a bit of hope.

Luna spotted something glowing on the doll in the bed. Taking part of the covers off, a glowing card was revealed to be what it was.

. . .

In the duel, Haley got angry but then said, "Since a card was sent to the graveyard, you'll take Hollow Ghost's effect!" Leo yelled out from the pain as Hollow Ghost sucked more blue energy out of him and his life points fell to 500.

"I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect to add a random equip spell from my deck to my hand," Leo declared. He then whispered before he looked at the card, "Come to me… the power needed to protect my most precious one!" He looked at the card and smiled at it. "I play the equip spell, Power Pickaxe and equip it to Power Took Dragon! Through Power Pickaxe's effect, I can remove one monster from your graveyard from play that has a lower level than Power Tool Dragon. And I choose to remove Hollow Spirit! And when Hollow Spirit's not in your graveyard, Hollow Ghost's attack points go to zero! And now Power Tool Dragon's attack points are raised by half of the removed from play monster's attack (Power Tool Dragon: Attack 2900). Power Tool Dragon, attack Hollow Ghost!" The mechanical dragon sliced Hollow Ghost in half, which destroyed it and created a small explosion of smoke. After the smoke cleared, Haley was kneeled on the ground as his life points fell to zero.

"Am I unable to protect Claire with my strength?" Haley asked.

Luna's voice then called out, "That's not true." Haley turned to her.

"Luna!" Leo yelled and Luna put both her hands on her heart and responded by saying his own name.

"Big brother," called a voice and Jayla walked out followed by Claire and Ancient. The female spirit walked over to Haley.

"What happened? It's no good if you leave your room," Haley told the young, spirit girl.

"Big brother, please don't hurt these people," Claire said. She looked at Leo. "That person is trying to protect his little sister as well." He looked at Leo confused.

Leo began to run over to him but Luna ran over, calling Leo's name and grabbed his hands.

"You're safe," Leo said.

"Yeah. All thanks to you and Ancient," Luna responded.

"Thank goodness," Leo stated. They let go and turned their attention to Haley who looked away.

"You don't have to protect me anymore. You're hurt as well. And we're no longer…" she trailed off. She then looked at Jayla and Ancient, "They told me what happened. They are truly good people."

Haley opened his eyes and said to Claire, "I couldn't protect you."

"You've protected me more than enough," Claire responded.

Haley then turned to Leo and Luna. "Leo, Luna," he called, "it looks like I did something horrible."

"It's okay," Luna told him. "You were trying so hard to protect Claire." She looked at Leo who nodded. Haley looked away again. Luna approached him and said, "Take this." She held out the card from the bed and he took it.

"Big brother," Claire said, "let's go. Like Jayla and Ancient wants."

"Yeah," Haley replied. They looked at the twins one last time. "Leo… for me as well?"

"I'll protect Luna!" Leo answered.

He and Claire then grabbed hands and floated into the air before vanishing completely. The house began to disappear, leaving only small remains of it. A bunch of kids were grouped around inside the rubble.

"Why are they here?" Leo wondered.

"They're the people taken away by the forest," Yusei answered.

"Haley didn't realize he was dead, but his strong feelings to protect Claire held him here," Jayla explained. "Then he saw the people here as bad and trapped them here. They weren't demons or anything. Just spirits not able to find their way to the Heavens."

Leo turned to Luna, saying, "I somehow understand Haley's feelings. If he was still alive, I might have been friends with him."

"Yeah, Claire too," Luna agreed.

"We better get back," Ancient stated. "Dexter will probably get worried if we don't."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about Dexter," Leo responded.

"Leo…" Luna groaned before they started laughing.

"Let's go, you two," Jayla told them before taking off with Leo and Luna getting on behind Yusei. Jayla and Ancient flying with their wings, watching the Signers they cared about with the comforting knowledge that they were safe for now and there wasn't too much of a problem going on at the present moment.

If you excluded the events having to do with the Ghost…


	6. French Duel

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 6**

 **French Duel**

Yusei's POV

I woke up slowly and found myself in a dark area. I winced as I felt a bump on the back of my head. _'Where did that come from?'_ I thought. I then heard a familiar groan near me.

"Jayla?" he called and looked in the darkness to see her sitting up. I was immediately by her side. "Jayla, are you alright?"

"I think," she replied. "You?"

"Just a bump," I answered. "What happened?" I felt around the walls, trying to get an idea as to where we were. I felt a handle that was attached to the locked door and felt the vibration in the ground. "Are we in a truck or something?"

"I think," Jayla answered.

I turned to see a cloth laying over something over to the side. I walked over and yanked it off to reveal my duel runner. "My duel runner? I think I remember now," I commented, the memories starting to flood back and Jayla nodded.

"Me too," she answered.

"I received a call for a job and was asked to be at a house. You tagged along wanting to be by me. Not getting a good vibe for some reason," I recalled.

"When we got there, we heard a shout and went in to check it out. But then the guy who was supposed hurt, showed himself to be fine and we were knocked out," Jayla finished. "So what're we doing here?"

"A reasonable question, my friend," came a voice and a screen lit up behind us. It was a man on the screen. "Finally woken up, I see."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Boss from the Tour Riding Group," the man replied.

"Why would you do this?" I asked.

"Others who don't really know this group assumes," Boss answered.

"Why did you take us?" Jayla asked.

"Because you, Yusei Fudo, are the winner of the Fortune Cup. I intend to recruit you onto my team for the World Racing Grand Prix," Boss explained.

"Sorry, I already have a team I'm entering with my friends, Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan. And why did you take Jayla if you only wanted me?" Yusei responded.

"She is something we're planning on using for extra leverage if needed," Boss replied. "If you were to refuse, we'll set her on the market." Yusei tensed and stepped in front of Jayla protectively. "But I don't care that you already have a team. And no matter what you will join us. We will even use our doctor's psychology on you if we must."

"That sort of thing wouldn't be allowed," Yusei responded.

"It will and only we will know about this and no one else," Boss retorted.

Third Person POV

Meanwhile, Jack, Crow, Mina, and Akiza had organized a search ground to look for Yusei and Jayla. As they drove, they discussed them receiving a different call about Yusei's capture. Wing, Arch, and Rose were each flying above their Signers invisible.

"This may be all some prank," Jack suggested.

"Yeah," Crow agreed.

"We have to make sure it isn't," Akiza stated.

"Whenever it comes to any situation involving Jayla and especially Yusei, you always…" Jack started but was cut off.

"Stop right there, Jack!" Akiza yelled cutting him off.

Suddenly, they intercepted another call by a mysterious man, "We have caught Yusei. There heading for Valley Ridge. You better hurry up before his friends find him."

After the call cuts, Mina and Akiza turned to head towards the west route where the truck holding Yusei and Jayla was. Once they were on the road, Akiza's mark lit up and allowed her to feel her fellow Signer's presence. Rose could feel Jayla's energy too.

As they passed through a highway, she noticed a truck passing by at the same time as her mark ached a bit. "The truck down there," Akiza ordered. The two of them took another route and were soon close to the truck. The Crimson Dragon's mark activated and Akiza said, "Yusei's definitely in there."

. . .

In the truck, Yusei's mark was also glowing bright with a burning sensation to them.

"What's this burning about?" Yusei wondered.

"I think a couple friends are here to help," Jayla answered. "I can sense Rose and Akiza's energies."

"Let's hope they'll be able to help us get out of here," Yusei responded.

. . .

Mina and Akiza drove up and noticed no one was driving the trailer. "Mina, bring us in closer," Akiza suggested.

"Why?" Mina asked.

"There's no way to make it stop. So I have to use my powers," Akiza stated as she activated her duel disk and summoned Rose Tentacles. "Smash that door, Rose Tentacles," she ordered and the monster began to whip the door, ultimately beginning to smash it.

"Akiza…" Mina called obviously concerned.

"It's alright. I can control it now," Akiza told her.

"Mistress, I can help," Rose told her.

"I'm fine, Rose. Just keep me from falling off," Akiza responded.

Rose Tentacles finally cracked the door open and Yusei called to her. Jayla pushed the left door open more as it was stuck by a groove for a moment. Yusei grabbed onto her as the truck jerked forward as it sped up to keep her in the truck. The trailer continued to speed up and it began to lose control making Rose Tentacles fall off and disappear. Mina and Akiza managed to catch up with it.

"Akiza, stay there!" Yusei warned but she impulsively jumped to one of the doors.

Jayla and Yusei helped her get on the trailer safely with Rose landing beside her, but the door fell off taking her duel disk with it. Mina lost their sight as the car got ruined in the process.

"Is this supposed to be some kind of rescue?" Yusei asked Akiza.

"Fine, I won't help you next time," Akiza responded. "I'll leave you-" They were cut off by the truck speeding up.

"Guys, you can fight later. Right now, we need to hurry up or this truck may fall off the road at any moment," Rose intervened.

Yusei nodded and headed towards his runner. Jayla turned into her angel form and got ready to fly. Yusei tossed Akiza one of his helmets and said, "Get on the runner."

"Uh, I really don't want to. Only one person can be on it," Akiza responded.

"More than one person can be on it. Jayla's ridden it before," Yusei retorted. "But there's not enough time before we're dead."

Akiza slowly gets on, warning him, "If I don't return home safely, you'll be sorry for this."

Jayla took to the air with Rose and her friends were about to jump off when a mysterious duel runner appeared in front of them. "Yusei Fudo, I challenge you to a duel."

"Are you from that group that took me?" Yusei as he and Akiza jumped back onto the road aboard the duel runner.

As they land, Yusei's duel runner automatically entered into autopilot duel mode. As Yusei's opponent followed after them, Yusei was forced into a turbo duel by the opponent saying, "There is a bomb attached to your duel runner and if you stop, it'll explode."

"Why recur to that?" Yusei asked.

The mysterious duel activated Speed World 2 and thus the three of them detoured to the dueling lanes. Jayla and Rose flew close to their Signers.

"Hold on tight, Akiza," Yusei told her.

The duel began. _'Being close up like this… I'll be able to see Yusei's perspective when he's turbo dueling for the first time,'_ Akiza thought.

The duelist drew their card. "I summon Sacred Knight's Spearholder (Attack 800/ Defense 200) in defense position. I then set a face down and end my turn," they declared.

Yusei drew his card. "I summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) in attack mode. Now since I'm entering my battle phase, I activate Speed Warrior's effect to double its attack points during the battle phase only (Speed Warrior: Attack 1800)," he declared. "Speed Warrior, attack Sacred Knight's Spearholder!"

"I activate Floral Shield! This negates the attack and allows me to draw one card," the duelist defended.

And due to it being the end of the battle phase, Speed Warrior's effect expired, dropping its attack points to a normal 900. "I set three face downs and end my turn," Yusei finished.

The duelist drew. "I summon Horse of Floral Knights (Attack 400/ Defense 800) in attack position. And with its effect, I can draw one card from my deck," they declared. "Next I activate the Speed Spell- Overboost! This increases my speed counters by four. Next I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Fusion! This allows me to fuse Sacred Knight's Spearholder with Horse of Floral Knights in order to fusion summon, Centaur Mina (Attack 2200/ Defense 1600)! Centaur Mina, attack Speed Warrior!"

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! This negates your attack," Yusei fought.

"I activate the effect of Centaur Mina! It negates the effect of your Scrap-Iron Scarecrow and returns it to its original position," the duelist retorted and their monster destroyed Speed Warrior and knocked Yusei's life points to 2700. "I set a face down and end my turn."

Yusei drew his card. "I summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in attack position and use its effect to revive Speed Warrior in defense mode with its effects negated. Now I tune Speed Warrior with Junk Synchron to synchro summon. Fight, Junk Warrior (Attack 2300/ Defense 1300)!" he called. "Junk Warrior, attack Centaur Mina!"

"I activate Fleur Guard! This prevents Centaur Mina from being destroyed by battle," the duelist defended though her life points did take the hit still and fell to 3900.

"I set a face down and end my turn," Yusei finished.

The duelist drew her card. "I summon Fleur Synchron (Attack 400/ Defense 200) in attack mode. Now I tune Centaur Mina with Fleur Synchron in order to synchro summon Chevalier de Fleur (Attack 2700/ Defense 2300)!" they called.

' _Even though this is just a normal duel for them, it's very different from a psychic duel too. What unusual feelings are evoking at this very moment?'_ Akiza thought.

"Since Fleur Synchron was used for a synchro summon of synchro monster, its effect activates, allowing me to special summon Apprentice Knight (Attack 1000/ Defense 100) from my hand in attack mode. Chevalier de Fleur, attack Junk Warrior!" the duelist ordered.

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to negate the attack," Yusei defended again.

"With my Chevalier de Fleur, I can negate the effect of your Scrap-Iron Scarecrow and destroy it," the duelist fought. Junk Warrior was destroyed and Yusei's life points fell to 2300. "I activate Miracle's Wake! This revives Junk Warrior."

"I set two face downs and end my turn," the duelist stated. They then pulled to a stop, the Dragon Protectors hovering in the air. Yusei realized the bomb was just a bluff and pulled to a stop as well while Era landed next to him. They took off their helmet to reveal a woman. "Hello, Yusei Fudo. My name is Sherry."

"A female turbo duelist?" Akiza muttered surprised.

"I must apologize for the fake bomb threat," Sherry stated. "But I needed to test your skills. My goal was to have you join me team and no one else's. I have come to recruit you and with the desire to win the WRGP, as well as another motive. Our duel was a formal way of greeting. Shall we continue?" Yusei nodded.

Before they left, Yusei told Akiza, "You might want to get off my runner. This duel might get dangerous."

"No," Akiza refused. "I have to see your turbo duel to the end."

"Alright," Yusei agreed. They took off again like a bullet. He drew his card. "I summon Turbo Synchron (Attack 100/ Defense 500) in attack mode. Now I tune Junk Warrior with Turbo Synchron in order to synchro summon, Turbo Warrior (Attack 2500/ Defense 1500)! Turbo Warrior, attack Chevalier de Fleur! And due to the first effect of Turbo Warrior, the attack of your monster is halved until the end of the damage step (Chevalier de Fleur: Attack 1350)."

"I activate For Our Dreams! By tributing Apprentice Knight, I can present Chevalier de Fleur from being destroyed by battle," Sherry defended as her life points fell to 2750. And at the end of the damage step, Turbo Warrior's effect expired returning Sherry's monster's attack to a full 2700.

"I then activate Synchro Out! This returns Turbo Warrior to my extra deck and allows me to special summon Junk Warrior (Attack 2300/ Defense 1300) and Turbo Synchron (Attack 100/ Defense 500) from my graveyard in attack mode," Yusei fought. "And now I play Urgent Tuning! This allows me to perform a synchro summon during the battle phase."

"I activate Chevalier de Fleur to negate Urgent Tuning and destroy it!" Sherry responded. "And now I activate Chain Close! This prevents you from activating any spell or traps until the end phase."

"Turbo Synchron attack Chevalier de Fleur!" Yusei ordered. Sherry's monster was switched to defense position due to Turbo Synchron's effect but Yusei's life points felt to 100. "Now I activate Turbo Synchron's effect to special summon Junk Collector (Attack 1000/ Defense 2200) from my hand in attack position. Now I activate the effect of Junk Collector. By removing it and Urgent Tuning from play, I can activate the effect of Urgent Tuning and tune Junk Warrior with Turbo Synchron once again to bring back Turbo Warrior. Now Turbo Warrior, attack Chevalier de Fleur!" The attack succeeded and her monster was destroyed.

"You may have defeated my monster but you're life points are down to 100. I'll use the effect of Speed World 2 to finish the duel. The outcome will be decided depending on what I draw," Sherry said. She drew but did not get the necessary card. "Because of this, I need you even more." Akiza and the two protectors were a little shocked hearing Sherry say that and Jayla was fighting the urge to give a defensive glare. "Yusei, what is the reason for you behind dueling? Why are you entering the WRGP?"

"I want to enter the Grand Prix to find that motive," Yusei answered.

"So in the end, you are dueling without any purpose at all," Sherry concluded. "But for me, there is a motive. And that is of revenge."

 **-Flashback-**

As she was her parents' only daughter, who were also card players, they lived a life happily at the time. However, trouble and tragedy came for them as soon Sherry's father's company was being bought by a rival company. Though, having a daughter around, they tried their best not to show any signs of trouble.

But one night, everything change. Sherry lied in her bed when gunshots were heard. She walked out to inspect the sound when she came up on a gruesome scene. Her parents along with other people were dead in the dining room.

She cried for her parents when a man, Elsworth, grabbed her. She escaped with him.

 **-Flashback Ended-**

"They are still after me," Sherry said. "After a while of travelling, I had learned that another organization way behind my parent's death, Yliaster."

"Yliaster?" Akiza repeated.

"Goodwin and Roman mentioned the name before," Yusei recalled.

"Yeah," Jayla agreed.

"Yliaster is a powerful and devious group. I discovered why they were after me. It involved a mysterious card hidden within my teddy bear and I had later discovered it by Elsworth," Sherry stated. "Yliaster is somehow involved in the World Racing Grand Prix. I want you to win so that you can come closer to the truth of what Yliaster is are really after and the reason behind my parents' death."

"He can't. Yusei had already promised to win the Grand Prix with Jack and Crow," Akiza objected. "You don't even know him."

"Are you so sure?" Sherry responded. "Due to the accelerated speed and uniqueness of our duel, I know Yusei's emotions as well as mine. Such a concept can only be understood by turbo duelists." She took her turn and drew her card. "I summon Sacred Knight's Shield-Bearer (Attack 800/ Defense 1300) in defense mode. Then I activate my Shield-Bearer's effect. By removing from play Sacred Knight's Spearholder from my graveyard, I can draw one card. I set a face down and end my turn."

Yusei drew his card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing seven speed counters, I can draw one card," he declared. "Next I summon Drill Synchron (Attack 800/ Defense 300)! Turbo Warrior, attack Shield-Bearer. And thanks to Drill Synchron's effect, my warrior can still inflict damage." Sherry's monster was destroyed and her life points fell to 1550. "And now I activate the last effect of Drill Synchron to draw one card."

"I activate Freedom Release! This returns all monsters on the field to our decks," Sherry fought.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Yusei declared.

Sherry drew her card. "I summon Sacred Knight Joan (Attack 1900/ Defense 1300) in attack position. When this monster is destroyed by card effect, I will be able to add one speed spell to my hand. Sacred Knight Joan, attack Yusei directly!" she ordered. "But due to the first effect of Joan, it loses 300 attack points for the damage step only (Sacred Knight Joan: Attack 1600)."

"I activate Synchro Spirits! By removing Junk Warrior in my graveyard from play, I can special summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) and Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in defense position," Yusei defended. A replay occurred and Junk Synchron was destroyed. Joan's attack points also returned back to a normal 1900. He drew his card. "I activate the Speed Spell- High Speed Crash! This destroys Speed Warrior and allows me to set a card. Next I activate Starlight Road! This negates High Speed Crash's effect and destroys it while also summoning Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)." Jayla disappeared as she became the dragon on the field shocking Sherry.

They turned as a truck suddenly came crashing down from a bridge that was above them. As that occurred, Yusei, Akiza, Rose, and Jayla, spotted a familiar figure standing on the bridge. Jayla immediately hurried under the bridge while Rose changed into her dragon form and they held the bridge up until the others were well passed it. After that, Rose returned to her half-morphed self and to Akiza's side.

"What are you and the other exactly, miss?" Sherry asked. "To change into a dragon…"

"My name is Rose and the other is Jayla. We're Dragon Protectors with the duty to protect Mistress Akiza and Yusei," Rose explained.

"What do you mean?" Sherry responded.

"It's a long story," Akiza responded.

They stopped on their runners and Jayla landed as her half-morphed form with Rose. Yusei and Sherry disclose upon the outcome of the duel. However, Sherry doesn't take much interest into it.

She said, "The accelerated world in which we live on doesn't end here. Expect to meet again, Yusei. As well as you, Akiza. As you have also peaked my curiosity in which you may be able to help."

Akiza was surprised by the comment while Sherry along with Elsworth left the scene.

' _What am I dueling for?'_ Yusei thought.


	7. Another Truth

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 7**

 **Another Truth**

Jayla's POV

I was working with Yusei on the engine, but I could tell his mind was somewhere else to some extent. After a couple minutes, I asked slowly, "Yusei, is something wrong?"

"Huh?" he responded and looked at me. "No, not really."

"Yusei, why can't you let me help you with your problems?" I asked and he looked down a bit.

"I don't want you to worry about me all the time. I can take care of myself and I don't want to worry about your well-being," he explained.

"Yusei, I'll worry even worse if you don't tell me what's going on with you," I retorted. "I am your girlfriend, right? So shouldn't I be there for you?"

"I guess, it's just-"

"Then tell me what's wrong," I interrupted.

Yusei sighed. "I'm worried about the Ghost. If his monster can take synchro monsters, how am I supposed to beat him?" he wondered.

"You'll find a way, Yusei," I replied. "You always do." He gave me a soft grin and kissed my forehead. "You really missed me while I was gone, didn't you?"

Yusei grabbed my hand gently and caringly. "I couldn't forget you," he replied sadly. "I tried to move past my love for you, but I just couldn't. I care for you too much that I can't just let you go."

"Yusei…" I muttered before leaning into his chest where he wrapped his arms around me tight. "I'll do my best to make sure you won't lose me, Yusei. Just don't make me lose you either. Okay?"

"I promise, Jayla," he answered. "You won't lose me." She nodded. "Are you alright going to the announcement party with me?"

"Are you saying I don't have to go? Or are you just checking my mental stability?" I replied.

"Mainly the second one," he answered. "If you don't want to go, I can stay here with you."

"Yusei, I know you're worried me leaving your side means I may get taken control over again but-"

"I understand you don't like me worrying about you all the time. But if you did manage to kill me while being controlled, how would you feel afterwards?" he interrupted and I looked down. Yusei sighed in some sort of submission. "Jayla, when you died, I felt like I failed you." I looked at him with shocked, wide eyes. He wasn't looking at me, though, he was looking down. "I had promised you that you would stay safe and I would make sure that you lived. But I couldn't. In the end, I failed to keep the promise that I wanted more than anything to keep. When I felt your hand go cold, I can't tell you the pain I felt and had been feeling. I don't want you feeling that same pain."

"Yusei…" I muttered.

"I don't want to risk you feeling any sort of pain because of me or my death. I don't want to risk seeing you be hurt," he responded. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" I nodded. "Good."

"Don't worry, Yusei, I won't let that happen," I responded. "I guess, I was basically tethered to you before; and if I hadn't changed like this, I would've been forcibly tethered anyways. So it wouldn't matter either way." He gave a soft, one laugh chuckle. "Alright, I'll come with you to the party. But I'm _not_ wearing anything fancy."

"I wouldn't expect you too," he responded.

. . .

Later that night, the WRGP announcement party was beginning. Jack had said he would meet us there and I didn't really know what he was planning, but I didn't bother to ask either. Arch seemed quite annoyed with the reason Jack was being a bit late.

At the moment, Crow, Yusei, and I met Akiza, Leo, and Luna who had arrived at the party area dressed up. Quite unlike me who refused to dress up. I hated all formal attire. No high heels, no dresses, my hair will _never_ be down, no earrings, nothing that would make me the least bit fancy. Ancient, Wing, and Rose weren't dressed up either.

We entered the room and were soon met with Jack. Crow struggled not to laugh at him outfit.

While, I asked, "What are you wearing?"

"Thought I should get a bit dressed up for this occasion," Jack replied. Crow sighed and I knew the money it probably cost to get that thing made. And it did look quite ridiculous in my opinion.

That's when a voice called to us, "Hey, there!" We turned to a member of another team. "You're from another team, aren't you?"

"Yeah, who are you?" Yusei asked.

"My name's Andre. Me and my team are participating in the tournament too," he greeted. "You're Yusei Fudo, right?"

"Yep," Yusei answered.

"I heard you won the Fortune Cup. Very nice. I can't wait to see how you duel in this tournament," Andre responded. He looked at me. "And who is this?"

"My name's Jayla," I introduced, feeling slightly uncomfortable with how he asked it. I could tell Yusei was struggling not to glare protectively.

"You dueling in the tournament?" he asked.

"Uh, no, not really," I answered a bit nervously.

"I can respect your decision to stay out of the tournament. But I hope you'll at least be there to watch your friends and the rest of the teams," Andre responded.

"Of course I will," I answered kindly and calmly. I felt Yusei subtly grab my hand and hold it tight.

"Good to know. Anyway, I should probably get back to my team. We'll see you in the tournament," Andre stated before walking away.

"That was a bit… awkward," Crows stated.

"Yep," I answered probably sounding as awkward as I felt.

I turned along with Yusei as someone passed by us, saying in a low whisper, "You'll find what you're looking for." But he then disappeared before we could get a good look at him.

"Did you see him?" Yusei asked me in a low whisper, making sure the others didn't hear.

"Yeah," I answered.

Suddenly someone rammed into the party and a man on the huge duel runner demanded, "Listen here! I'm Dobocle and if you want this tournament to run smoothly, you're going to give me half of the prize money!"

Some Sector Security officers came up to arrest him but he dodged them and continued to wreak havoc on the party.

"Akiza…" Luna called.

"Right," Akiza responded and summoned her Signer dragon which tossed him out the door. Ancient used her powers to fix all the broken glass on the windows and walls.

Suddenly, another Ghost appeared and challenged Dobocle to a duel. The man accepted and they rode off. Once again, Yusei convinced me to stay behind him as we drove.

We took off with the others following when a man appeared in front of us. making everyone stop. "Hello, Yusei," the man greeted.

"Who are you?" Yusei asked.

"You can call me 'Vizor'. You cannot beat the Ghost in your current condition," the man said.

"Huh?" Yusei responded.

"I know an alternate strategy to beat the Ghost. If you want to know it, you'll have to follow me in a turbo duel," Vizor replied.

"Fine," Yusei agreed. He looked at me and said, "You should probably hang back with the others."

I shook my head in refusal. "No, I'm sticking by you until the end of the duel." He then took off with the man to duel him.

"I don't like this. Especially since Yusei's dueling someone we don't know," Akiza stated.

"It's fine. It _is_ Yusei we're talking about," Leo responded.

"Yusei accepted the duel because he saw something in this Vizor guy," I stated.

"Yeah," Crow agreed.

I then flew to get a better view of the duel while the others followed Yusei by their vehicles.

Yusei took the first turn and drew his card. "I summon Tricular (Attack 300/ Defense 300) in defense mode and set once card face down.

"Since you control a monster and I don't, I can special summon Tech Genus Striker (Attack 800/ Defense 0) from my hand in attack mode. Next since I special summoned a level four or below monster, I can special summon my Tech Genus Warwolf (Attack 1200/ Defense 0). Now I tune Tech Genus Warwolf with Tech Genus Striker in order to synchro summon, Tech Genus Power Gladiator (Attack 2300/ Defense 1000)!" Vizor declared. "Next I normal summon Tech Genus Cyber Magician (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Now with the effect of Cyber Magician, I can tune it with the Tech Genus Rush Rhino in my hand to synchro summon. Come forth, Tech Genus Wonder Magician (Attack 1900/ Defense 0)! Tech Genus Gladiator, attack Tricular! And due to its effect, you still take the damage." Yusei's monster was destroyed as his life points fell to 2000.

"I activate Tricular's effect! When it's destroyed, I can special summon Bicular (Attack 200/ Defense 200) in defense mode!" Yusei fought.

"Tech Genus Wonder Magician, attack Bicular!" Vizor ordered.

The attack succeeded in destroying Bicular but Yusei activated its effect to summon Unicycular (Attack 100/ Defense 100) in defense position.

' _Watch it, Yusei,'_ I thought.

Yusei drew his card to begin his turn. "I activate the Speed Spell- Synchro Defuse. This allows me to take control of Tech Genus Power Gladiator until the end phase," he played.

"I don't think so. I tune Tech Genus Power Gladiator with Tech Genus Wonder Magician!" Vizor declared.

"You're synchro summoning during my turn?!" Yusei exclaimed shocked. I was as equally shocked as him. It shouldn't be possible.

"I Accel synchro summon!" Vizor declared before he sped so fast that he disappeared from sight. In the next moment, he appeared again with a new monster on his field. "Arise, Tech Genus Blade Blaster (Attack 3300/ Defense 2200)!"

' _And since Power Gladiator is no longer on the field, Synchro Defuse's effect is negated,'_ I thought.

"Then I activate the Speed Spell- Angel Baton! This allows me to draw two cards as long as I send one card to the graveyard," Yusei declared. "Now I normal summon Drill Synchron (Attack 800/ Defense 300) in attack mode. And next I activate the effect of Quillbolt Hedgehog. Since there is a tuner monster on my field, I can summon it to the field from my graveyard (Attack 800/ Defense 800). Now I tune Unicycular and Quillbolt Hedgehog with Drill Synchron to synchro summon. Rise, Drill Warrior (Attack 2400/ Defense 2000)! Now I activate the effect of Drill Warrior. By cutting its attack points in half until the end phase, I can attack you directly. So Drill Warrior, attack!" Yusei ordered. The attack his and Vizor's life points fell to 2800. "I set a face down and end my turn." And because it was the end phase, Drill Warrior's attack points returned to a normal 2400.

Vizor drew. "Tech Genus Blade Blaster, attack Drill Warrior!" he ordered.

"I activate Wave Force to destroy you Blade Blaster!" Yusei defended.

' _That won't be enough, Yusei,'_ I thought.

"I activate Blade Blaster's effect. By discarding one card, I can negate your trap and destroy it," Vizor defended. The attack continued, destroying Yusei's monster and dropping the Signer's life points to 1100.

"I activate Miracle's Wake! This allows me to special summon Drill Warrior back from my graveyard," Yusei declared.

"I end my turn," Vizor finished.

Yusei drew his card to begin his turn. "I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Energy! This increases Drill Warrior's attack by the number of speed counters I have times 200 (Drill Warrior: Attack 3200)," he declared. "Next I normal summon Gauntlet Warrior (Attack 400/ Defense 1600) in attack mode and activate its effect. By tributing it, Drill Warrior gains 500 attack and defense points until the end of the next damage step (Drill Warrior: Attack 3700/ Defense 2500). Drill Warrior, attack Tech Genus Blade Blaster!"

"I activate the second effect of Blade Blaster! This removes it from play until the end phase," Vizor declared. Yusei attacked again with Drill Warrior, and with it being a direct attack, Vizor's life points fell to 0.

They all pulled to a stop and Yusei asked, "You threw the duel. Why?"

"I can't reveal everything all at once," Vizor answered. He glanced at me. "Perhaps your friend will help you learn what you need to know. The Accel Synchro." He then took off with that.

The others rode up and Akiza asked, "What did he say?"

"He said I needed to figure out a synchro summoning called Accel Synchro," Yusei answered looking down a bit in thought. They then took off with that.


	8. Safe

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 8**

 **Safe**

Yusei's POV

I was working late one night with Jayla. It was the second night in a row that I was up late and the night before I hadn't gotten any sleep. Jayla was seeming to get a bit tired with the lack of sleep. I was fine with the lack of sleep for now, being that I was used to getting little sleep while working on duel runners or programs.

I turned to Jayla. "Why don't you get some sleep?" I suggested kindly and gently.

"I'm fine, Yusei," she politely denied.

"Jayla, I can see how tired you are. You need the sleep," I retorted in a calm voice. "Just go try to get some sleep. You need it."

"Yusei-"

"Jayla, it'll be fine. And sleep will help you keep the memories you are losing, right?" She looked down a bit. "What matters most to me is you being alright. So go ahead and get some sleep." She shook her head, still not wanting to get sleep without me.

I wasn't sure why she was so persistent on sleep only if I did. The other night she had gone to sleep on the couch with me watching her for a bit. She woke up suddenly an hour later seeming worried. I tried to get her to tell me what had happened, but she wouldn't budge.

"I'm okay, Yusei," Jayla told me. "Besides, you need sleep as much as me."

"I've always been okay with little sleep," I argued. "You're no longer a full Dragon Protector, so you need sleep just like me. Only on your own schedule."

"Yusei, I'm really-"

I sighed cutting her off. "Why have you been pressing to keep me by you so much lately?"

"I…" she stopped.

"Does it have to do with the other night?" I continued. She gave a small, nervous nod. "Why can't you tell me about, Jayla? I am here for you; so let me help you."

Jayla sighed this time, obviously giving in. "It was a nightmare, a bad one," she replied vaguely. I brought her in to comfort her. "I… I saw…" She closed her eyes tight in fear.

"I'm here, Jayla," I whispered. "You're safe with me. What did you see?"

"I saw you… dead," she replied. I went wide eyed. "I couldn't see a lot. But I was holding you and I just remember pain. Physical pain, mental pain, all sorts of pain. After a few seconds, everything went dark and I woke up back here, you watching me." Tears dripped down her face a bit in fear and I held her closer and laid her head against his chest to make her listen to his heartbeat. "It felt so real, Yusei. The sounds, touch, everything just felt so real. I thought it was real for a few seconds."

"Don't worry, Jayla. That won't happen," I assured. "I won't allow it."

"Then why would it feel real like that?" she asked.

"Probably because the Earthbound Immortals are trying to put fear into you, so you'll be easier to control," I explained. "You have to remember, they have a bit of their energy inside you so they know everything that's going on with you." I pulled her face up to look at me while gently wiping away the tears. "But you don't have to worry about me dying, because it won't happen. And you won't die either. I promise."

"And you can keep that promise?" Jayla retorted.

"I can," I replied sternly. "Remember what I told before, I won't let you feel the pain I felt when I lost you or any pain similar to that. It won't happen." She gave a small nod and I gave her a soft kiss to give her some more reassurance that we would all be okay. "Now, I think you should get some sleep."

"Yusei…" she groaned.

"Jayla, you need it," I retorted. I sighed a bit. "Why don't you lay your head on my lap and close your eyes for now? When I'm heading to bed for the night, I'll take you there."

"Why not just wake me up?" Jayla asked.

"You wake up fairly early, but you sleep pretty deeply," I explained. "I shouldn't need to wake you up to get you to the bed." She gave a soft nod and laid her head on my thigh. I watched her close her eyes and stroked her head gently until she fell to sleep. _'I promise, Jayla. No matter what happens, nothing will happen to you.'_

My eyes caught sight of something glinting outside the garage. I looked towards the window to see a shadow of someone disappearing behind the walls. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. This was not the time to go check this out. If I left Jayla's side at the moment, there was no telling what would happen with her.

As such, I decided to let it pass by for the moment; I would be ready for anything. If anything happened tonight, I would know with ease and be able to protect Jayla. I had a bad feeling about that mysterious person who lurked outside for that moment. But my priority was Jayla, and I would focus on keeping her safe for however long I needed to.

 **Sorry this is a bit short!**


	9. Test of the Turbo

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 9**

 **Test of the Turbo**

Jayla's POV

The next day, Yusei had seemed a lot more vigilant since last night confusing me, especially since he hasn't told me why yet… not that I had the courage to ask either. I wanted to ask, but I wasn't sure how and was letting it be for the time being. Yusei would tell me when he felt he needed to. Hopefully.

At the moment, I was helping Yusei, Jack, and Crow work on a new duel runner. A knock came at the door just as we finished and Akiza walked in wearing a leather, riding outfit with Rose behind her.

"Hey, Akiza," I greeted. "Ready for your test?"

"I'm a bit nervous that I won't make it," she admitted.

"You'll do great, Akiza," Yusei told her. "We made this duel runner for you. It's assembled from parts obtained from a junkyard but it should be enough for your test."

"Thanks," Akiza responded. "I definitely have to get my license now."

They talked a bit more before Crow and Jack had to go out, Crow for a delivery and Jack for coffee, and Akiza needed to head back to Duel Academy for class.

Later on, Akiza came asking for help with balancing and riding backwards and Yusei took her to a skating rink for it. The twins, Rose, and I followed and I had to convince the twins that it wasn't a date and explain to them the meaning of this. Rose and I laughed a bit at Yusei who was trying to help Akiza learn how to skate. Rose had informed me that Akiza didn't know how to roller skate and I didn't bother to warn Yusei. I was curious to see how he handled it.

When they were finished and Akiza needed to head back with Rose, Yusei came to me and asked, "Did you know she couldn't roller skate?"

"Rose told me," I answered with a small grin.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Luna asked.

"I wanted to see how he would handle the situation," I answered and Yusei gave me an annoyed look. Leo and Luna laughed a bit at it making him sigh in defeat.

"Let's get going," Yusei suggested, grabbing my hand gently. Leo and Luna couldn't hold their smiles in that they were trying to conceal.

. . .

The next day, Yusei and I worked on Akiza's duel runner for a bit. Jack and Crow had helped but not being too skilled in mechanics couldn't do much. Crow was a bit more considering he made his own duel runner.

Akiza stopped by just as we finished it and was shocked and happy that we remodeled it for her. "Thanks, guys," she told me and Yusei.

"Jack and Crow helped too. But they had to go somewhere," I informed my psychic friend.

"I'll definitely get my license. After all the effort you guys have put into it, I can't let you down," she said.

"You're our friend, Akiza," I told her. "You don't need to thank us." Yusei nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of your license, you're getting the final exam to get it today, right?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah," Akiza answered.

"We'll be there watching and cheering you on," I told her. She nodded with a small smile.

Rose gave me a small nod in appreciation. _"Nice to see the Earthbound Immortals haven't been able to take your kindness to your friends… yet,"_ she told me mentally.

" _They won't be doing it anytime soon, Rose,"_ I responded. _"I know for a fact Yusei won't allow me to get taken control of again."_

" _We'll see how much he'll be able to keep that up,"_ she retorted.

" _Don't trust Yusei in keeping me safe?"_ I responded annoyed.

" _I don't care what Arch senses, you're still a Dragon Protector. I know Yusei can try to keep you safe, but it's your duty to keep yourself alive and Yusei alive,"_ Rose replied sternly.

" _And you know Yusei won't allow that. Are we really still going to be ridiculously tense between each other? Yusei and Akiza are close friends now. Why can't we be as close as them?"_ I asked.

"Jayla, Rose, you better not be arguing," Yusei called.

"Yusei, it's Dragon Protector business," Rose retorted. "Leave it to us."

"Jayla isn't a full Dragon Protector anymore. Even Arch and Wing agreed with that," he responded tense.

"That's what Arch says because he wants it to be true. Let's face it, Yusei, Jayla has been and will always be a Dragon Protector. Arch just convinced her to _act_ a little less protective," Rose retorted.

"Jayla, is that true?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah, but… It's complicated, Yusei," she replied, looking down nervously.

Yusei sighed. "We'll talk about this later," he decided. "Anyway, why don't you take the new duel runner for a spin?"

Akiza gave a confident grin and pulled it out. Yusei drove on his runner with him practically forcing me to sit behind him, and Rose took flight behind the psychic who rode her duel runner smoothly.

"Feel good?" Yusei asked Akiza.

"Yeah," she answered. "Feels a lot smoother and stable."

I nodded to her. "Good," I told her. "It should be easier to ride."

Akiza's watch went off. "Oh! I need to get to the exam," she stated.

"Perfect timing then," I said making her laugh and Yusei grin.

We drove off with me following by flight to the Duel Academy's riding field. When we arrived, I changed back to my human form and we were met by Jack, Leo, Luna, and Crow. I also noticed three previous students that I remember Akiza telling me they didn't like her because she succeeded over them.

We turned as another guy crashed before the duel even commenced. I was tempted to go help them but I knew Yusei wouldn't like that, for one, and he was already getting up fine. He was already seriously tense from what Rose had said. _'Thanks, Rose. That did_ not _help me,'_ I thought bitterly.

My attention was taken back to the others when Jack asked Akiza, "So who's in charge of the exam?"

"That would be me," Trudge stated walking up.

"You're in charge of the exam?" Crow asked.

"Didn't really expect that to be something you would do," I told him.

Trudge smirked. "Learn something new every day," he stated. He turned back to Akiza, "Because of the World Racing Grand Prix, the amount of people requesting a license has increased way up. So, in order you to pass the exam and obtain one, you have to defeat me in a turbo duel."

I noticed Yusei was a bit worried as was everyone else but I stay relatively calm. I knew Akiza could do this. Just like an angel trying to fly for the first time. It's annoying and difficult at first. But you get the hang of it eventually.

"Now I won't go easy of you, Akiza," Trudge said.

"I don't want you to," she responded.

"If you get her hurt, though…" Rose trailed off.

"I can't guarantee anything, but I'll do my best to keep her safe," Trudge responded before Rose disappeared and the two duelists left for the duel.

We sat in our seats in the stands with Yusei sitting next to me, Jack sitting behind us and the twins and Crow sitting to the left of me and Yusei. Up further to the right and behind us were the three guys who had a devious smirk. I didn't like it very much. But I quickly turned back to the circuit as the duel started.

Akiza took the first turn and drew his card. "I summon Revival Rose (Attack 1300/ Defense 1300) in defense mode," she declared. "Next I activate the Speed Spell…" she stopped as she didn't have enough speed counter to use her spell.

' _Remember the speed counters, Akiza,'_ I thought. Though I didn't turbo duel anymore, I had been around Yusei with his duels and around other turbo duels enough to know and figure out the rules well.

Akiza shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I end my turn," she finished.

Trudge drew his card. "I summon Stygian Street Patrol (Attack 1600/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Stygian Street Patrol attack, Revival Rose!" he ordered and the attack hit destroying Akiza monsters. "And now its effect activates, inflicting damage to you equal to the level of your monster times 100." Akiza's life points fell to 3600 with the blow. "I end my turn with one face down."

Akiza drew her card. "I summon Twilight rose Knight (Attack 1000/ Defense 1000) in attack mode and activate its effect. This allows me to special summon my Lord Poison (Attack 1500/ Defense 1000) in attack mode. Now I tune Lord Poison with Twilight Rose Knight in order to synchro summon. Appear, Black Rose Dragon (Attack 2400/ Defense 1800)! Black Rose Dragon, attack Stygian Street Patrol!" she ordered. The attack succeeded in destroying Trudge's monster and bringing his life points down to 3200.

"I activate Final Penalty! This destroys your dragon and inflicts damage to you equal to half the attack of my Street Patrol," Trudge fought and Akiza's dragon was destroyed as said and her life points fell to 2800.

"I activate the effect of Revival Rose to bring itself back in defense mode," Akiza continued. "I then place two cards face down and end my turn."

Trudge drew to begin his turn. "I activate the effect of Stygian Patrol. By removing it from play from my graveyard, I can special summon another Stygian Street Patrol in attack mode. Next I normal summon Stygian Security (Attack 100/ Defense 600)," he declared. "Next I tune Stygian Street Patrol with Stygian Security in order to synchro summon, Stygian Sergeants (Attack 2200/ Defense 1800)! Now Stygian Sergeants, attack Revival Rose!" The attack destroyed Akiza monster. "And now since it destroyed your monster by battle, I can activate Stygian Sergeants' effect. This increases its attack by 800 (Stygian Sergeants: Attack 3000) in attack mode and allows it to attack again. So, Stygian Sergeants, attack Akiza directly!"

"I activate Offensive Guard! This halves the attack of Stygian Sergeants until the end phase (Stygian Sergeants: Attack 1500) and I can draw one card," Akiza defended. The attack continued and Akiza's life points dropped to 1300. "And now since we're entering the end of the battle phase, you monster's effect expires (Stygian Sergeants: Attack 700)."

"I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Demon! This inflicts 1000 points of damage at you," Trudge fought and Akiza's life points fell to 300. "And on my next standby phase, I can add Speed Spell- Speed Demon from my graveyard to my hand by removing three of my speed counters. I'll end my turn with one face down." And since it was the end phase, Offense Guard's effect expires returning Stygian Sergeants to a full 2200.

Akiza drew her card. "I summon Witch of the Black Rose (Attack 1700/ Defense 1200) in attack mode and activate its effect which allows me to draw one card," she declare and drew her card. "And since I drew a monster, Witch of the Black Rose is not destroyed."

"I activate Climatic Barricade! Since you normal summoned a monster, all monsters level four and below can't attack this turn. And you'll be taking 500 points of damage for everyone level four of below monster you control during your end phase," Trudge played.

"I activate the Speed Spell- Summon Speeder to summon Dark Verger (Attack 0/ Defense 1000) in attack mode. Now I tune Dark Verger with Witch of the black Rose to synchro summon. Bloom, Splendid Rose (Attack 2200/ Defense 2000) in attack mode. And now I activate the effect of Splendid Rose. By removing from play Dark Verger from my graveyard, I can halve the attack points of Stygian Sergeants until the end phase (Stygian Sergeants: Attack 1100). Now Splendid Rose, attack Stygian Sergeants!" she ordered. The attack succeeded in destroying the monster and dropping Trudge's life points to 2100. "And now I activate Blossom Bombardment! This inflicts damage equal to half the attack points of Stygian Sergeants straight at you." Trudge's life points dropped again to 1000. "And now I activate the second effect of Splendid Rose! By removing Lord Poison from play, I can halve Splendid Rose's attack points (Splendid Rose: Attack 1100) and it can attack again!"

Just as she was about to win, an explosion hit a frame holding large pipes. The pipes came crashing down after Trudge had passed them. I could see Yusei and I were both extremely concerned by what was happening. After a few, tense moments, Akiza came riding out of the dust fine. Rose seeming to have protected her through most of it as she was a bit further behind, though no one but me saw it. I released a relieving breath that I didn't know I was holding.

Yusei grabbed my hand without the others noticing and I turned to meet his eyes. He whispered, careful that the others didn't hear, "She's fine. Don't worry."

"Y-Yeah,"I agreed a bit unsure. And it wasn't Akiza being unharmed that I was uncertain about. It's the fact that Yusei still seemed to be worried about me despite hiding that I still had an urge to protect him.

We turned back to the duel as Akiza caught up, much to Trudge's surprise. "Splendid Rose, attack Trudge directly and end this!" she ordered. The attack hit making Akiza the winner.

The duel ended and they both stopped. "Nicely done, Akiza," Trudge praised.

We all ran down to meet her as Trudge handed her the license. She turned to us. Yusei offered a hand which Akiza took with Yusei said, "Welcome to the world of turbo dueling."

"Thanks," she responded. I gave her a smile before we all left the Academy. I looked at Rose who gave a warning glare at me.


	10. Honesty

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 10**

 **Honesty**

Jayla's POV

It was late that night. Jack and Crow were asleep with their Dragon Protectors in their rooms watching them, well knowing that Yusei was going to need to talk to me in private tonight. We were working on the engine again and everything was going alright, but I could tell Yusei was obviously a bit unsure.

After a couple seconds, Yusei asked, "Jayla, what was Rose talking about?" I looked at him; but he wasn't looking at me, only down. "Have you really only been _acting_ to not be as protective of me?"

"Yes… No… It's just…" I stammered.

"Jayla, I don't need you hiding or lying to me about anything," he responded. He sighed. "I thought you trusted me enough to tell me anything."

"I do trust you, Yusei! Arch didn't tell me to not tell you about that and Rose is wrong on some accounts," I responded, shocked and a bit frightened by his words. "I didn't tell you because I'm _not_ a full Dragon Protector anymore." He looked at me shocked. "Yusei, the only powers I have now than I had as a Dragon Protector is the ones you know: Invisibility, becoming Stardust Dragon when you summon it in a duel, and talking to other Dragon Protectors telepathically. Yes, I am protective of you, but aren't I supposed to be as your girlfriend? Rose just has never liked me since I went against my destiny with Arch, and she doesn't trust or favor me even more now that I have a bit of the Earthbound Immortals inside me still. She thinks I should go on my own and focus on protecting you, worry about the Earthbound Immortals later and if I get controlled of again, I quote, 'So be it, I'll deal with it then'."

"And how exactly will she 'deal' with it?" Yusei asked tense. "And if me and Akiza are good now, why does she still seem to hate you so much? I mean, after I got Akiza to become friends with the others and I, she was pretty good with everyone as far as I was aware."

"I don't know why she still is so tense around me and still doesn't me. As for how she'll deal with it… I think you know," I answered, the end quietly and my face down. I was a bit frightened by what she would do as well.

My boyfriend immediately grabbed my hand as soon as I ended that final sentence. "Jayla, I won't let you get taken over again. Especially if it means Rose killing you," he responded.

"Why are you still so, I don't know, caring about me?" I asked a bit shocked. "I mean, I didn't tell you everything and…"

"Jayla, what you didn't tell me is stuff that you didn't understand. As much as I may not like that you didn't let me be there for you as much, I couldn't just not care for you for that reason. I love and care you too much to do that," Yusei told me. I looked at him a bit shocked still. He pulled me into him, placing my head against his chest. "I promised you nothing will happen to you. And I'll keep that promise until I can't anymore."

"But-"

"No 'buts', Jayla. I wasn't able to save you when you died to the poison… I'm not going to make that same mistake again," Yusei cut me off sternly. "Jayla, if something happened to you like that again… I wouldn't be able to stand it. Not again…"

"Yusei…" I muttered, looking at him a bit.

"I promise, Jayla," he responded before leaning down and giving me a soft kiss. When he pulled back, he stared right into my eyes. "For as long as I'm alive, nothing else will happen to you again. You won't get taken control of and I'll always be with you." He held up his scale necklace. "Always."

I leaned my head against his chest. "I'm sorry I wasn't completely honest with you," I whispered.

"It's fine; don't worry," Yusei responded. "Why don't we go get some sleep for now? Alright?"

"Alright," I agreed. He helped me up and brought me to his bed where he laid down, bringing me close into him. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, having a strange feeling we were being watched by outside forces.


	11. One Lost

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 11**

 **One Lost**

Third Person POV

It was a week after that night. Ever since the announcement of the World Racing Grand Prix, crimes involving duel runners have been rising throughout the city. Yusei was concerned, especially after what he had seen a few nights before. Those eyes that watched him and Jayla before disappearing… the feeling of danger that came with him never left Yusei.

And then there was also the rumor that Jack with his friend Carly were trying to investigate the thieves. Yusei was nervous as to where that would lead.

At the moment, Jack was with Carly and waiting to figure out something. Arch came up. "Master, for the final time, this is a bad idea," he told him. "For both you and Carly."

"I promised Carly I would help her with this," Jack retorted in a whisper.

"Maybe, but I don't like the feeling I'm getting about this search for tonight specifically," Arch responded seeming nervous and a bit fearful. "Please, Master, you and Carly head to your homes for tonight at least. For your safety."

"Arch, we're doing this. Deal with it!" Jack retorted sternly.

"Yes, Master. As you wish," Arch responded before disappearing.

Suddenly, Jack and Carly spotted a gang hurrying off with a number of duel runners. "Stay here, Carly," Jack ordered and took off to stop them. As he neared them, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

None of them seemed fazed by the tall Signer behind them and the obvious leader brought out a gun. "Master!" Arch called as the trigger was pulled.

One of the gang members went to shield Jack, but Arch's instincts kicked in and he pushed the gang member out of the way and took the shots. The push was a little too hard though, sending the member into a rough crash and the rest of the gang disappeared quickly.

Meanwhile, Arch fell to the ground visible rolling against the concrete for a couple meters. Jack immediately stopped and hurried to Arch. "Arch!" he called as he ran up. He looked to see his protector had about three bullet wounds in the center of his lower chest. Arch was gasping and trying to grab his wounds.

"Arch, why would you do that?!" Jack exclaimed.

"It's my duty to… protect you through any means necessary, Master… even at the cost of my life," he answered through breaths.

Trudge pulled up and immediately came to Jack side. "I'll get an ambulance," he stated almost immediately. He turned and noticed the gang member and obviously recognized him. He then called for an ambulance for both the man and Arch.

Jack was watching Arch, trying to keep him awake. He had a feeling as soon as Arch passed out, his protector would not be waking up again. He had secretly known the torment Yusei went through when he lost Jayla. And though Jack didn't like Arch in the same way Yusei did for Jayla, Jack would still forever feel the torment from Arch dying out of protecting his and the man's life.

The ambulance was closing in when Arch's breath was getting shallower. "Arch, listen to me! Don't give up!"

"M-Master…" he called out weakly.

"Arch, I'm ordering you to stay alive," Jack tried.

The Dragon Protector coughed up a bit of blood and he was obviously fading to oblivion as the ambulance pulled to a stop. "I'm sorry, Master," Arch whispered. "At least you're… alright…" Suddenly, he released a breath but nothing followed.

"Arch!" Jack called. The protector's eyes were distant and showed no sign of life. "Come on, Arch!"

Trudge hurried over shocked. Jack immediately hit the ground in sadness and fury. _'That gang leader is going to pay for this…'_ he thought angrily and bitterly. _'I swear…'_

. . .

Jayla went wide eyed as she felt a huge change in energy and a sudden gape in her own. She looked out the window in shock standing up. "Oh no…" she muttered.

Yusei who was working beside her turned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's Arch," she answered bluntly, but sounded beyond sad.

Yusei immediately tensed, worried as to whether she would confirm his worst suspicion. "What about him?" he asked.

"Arch…" she choked out. "He's… He's…"

Yusei got the sad message and brought her into him. "It's okay, Jayla. I'm here," he whispered as tears soaked his shirt. "I'm here."

"Yusei, there's something you should know…" she whispered weakly.

"What?" he asked.

. . .

The gang member that tried to protect him was put in the hospital until critical condition. Yusei for once had Jayla stay at the garage alone so she could have a moment while he went to get the details.

"So who is this guy exactly?" Yusei asked.

"His name is Kaz. He's a Sector Security officer who was uncover to investigate the thieves," Trudge explained. "Thanks to Jack's interference, he's no in critical condition. Though I'm certain he would've been worse if Arch hadn't…" he paused for a moment to look for the right word, "protected him."

"He was probably already moving to protect Jack when Kaz got in the way too," Yusei suggested. "All Arch ever wanted to do was make sure Jack was safe and well. If he died feeling his protected Jack from the thieves, he'll be able to rest well." Jack took a card from Kaz's deck and began to walk out when Yusei called, "Where are you going, Jack?"

"Just going to clean up some loose ends," he answered and left.

"What do you think Jack's going to do?" Trudge asked a bit unsure.

"I've seen that look in his eyes before. He's going to try to figure out these thieves to avenge Kaz and especially Arch," Yusei answered. "And no one will be able to stop him from doing it."

"What should we do then? He doesn't have Arch anymore to keep him safe," Trudge asked.

"Jack can handle himself," Yusei answered. "He's done it before. My biggest concern is Jayla and the other Dragon Protectors."

"What do you mean?" Trudge asked. "I can understand Jayla since Jack contacted you two. But Rose, Wing and Ancient? As far as I'm aware, they don't know anything."

"According to Jayla, when one Dragon Protector dies, all the others feel that death," Yusei answered. "Just like Signers, they're connected to each other. Jayla knew before I did and told me. I have no doubt Akiza, the twins, and Crow know by now."

"How is Jayla then?" Trudge asked.

"When she first found out, she was crying in sadness. It is understandable. Back during the Dark Signers, she was having to choose whether she loved Arch or I more," Yusei explained. "I'm not sure how the other Dragon Protectors handled it. When I left she was better. I'm going to check on her once I get back."

"Let's hope she stays okay," Trudge answered. "If Arch was one of the things that was keeping her from getting taken over again-"

"Trust me, I'm not letting that happen. If it starts, I'll find a way to stop it before it can get too far," Yusei retorted. "Arch may have been one of things that kept her stable, but Our friends and I are also an anchor for her. As long as the rest of us stay okay, she'll be as safe from the Earthbound Immortals as possible."

"I hope your right," Trudge responded.


	12. Vengeance for the Fallen

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 12**

 **Vengeance for the Fallen**

Third Person POV

During his search for the thieves, Jack had gotten ahold of an informant named Gus. He went to Gus' place in Satellite where he greeted, "Hey, you said you know where the thieves' base is. Where is it?"

Gus spoke the directions carefully and cautiously. The caution in his voice told Jack that something wasn't right, but all that was on his mind and that mattered to him was that Arch was murdered by these men and he wasn't going to stop until they were brought to justice. So he would go along with it, until he could figure it out for certain.

. . .

The next day, Jack ended up in the hospital after some guys attacked him. He was fine for the most part. Just had a minor concussion. The others all tried to talk him out of going after the thieves that hurt Kaz and killed Arch, including the Dragon Protectors.

Yusei was extremely worried and Jayla was as well. And she and the others knew this isn't something Arch would've wanted. But they also knew Jack's mind was made up and nothing would be able to stop him. Especially if his closest friends and Dragon Protectors couldn't talk him out of it.

To all the pleas for him to back out of this mission of his, the Signer of the Wings responded, "Finding these thieves is something that I have to do myself." They all either gave in with that reasoning or just plain gave up.

Everyone soon had to leave to go do their own things when Jack asked Jayla, "Do you have any idea where their base is?"

She looked at him confused. "How would I know that?" she replied seeming a bit nervous.

"Come on, we know you go flying every other night or so," Jack retorted. "You would know where it is."

"Jack, Arch wouldn't want you to do this," Jayla responded sternly. "Especially if it means you getting hurt like this."

Jack grabbed her by her shirt's collar and yanked her face to face. "Jayla, you know I need to do this. So tell me right now," he ordered.

"Jack, let her go!" Yusei ordered immediately. Jack scoffed before letting go of her. "Jack, I know you want to avenge Arch, but Jayla's right that he wouldn't want that. Can't you respe-"

"It's in a warehouse at the city docks," Jayla answered cutting him off. They looked at her a bit shocked. "Be careful and don't get into any serious trouble." Jack immediately raced off.

"Jayla, are you sure about this?" Yusei asked her uncertain.

"Honestly, Yusei, I'm not. But there isn't anything we can say or do that'll stop him," she replied.

. . .

The guards weren't at the door to the warehouse so Jack entered with ease. The thieves looked at him with leader staring with a grin.

"Hey there. My name's Syd, the leader of this whole thing," he greeted deviously. "Doing okay after the beatings?"

Jack glared. "Security is on their way. You can't escape this time," he told Syd.

"Fine," Syd responded. "But how about we have a duel while we wait for Security to come?"

"Fine by me," Jack agreed.

They took their places on the conveyor belt. A couple members of the gang chained Jack and Syd to the conveyor belt.

"I have a special set up for our duel. Each of us are chained to a conveyor belt. And as we lose life points, the conveyor belt moves backwards and when one of us is defeated, we're dropped into a trash compactor," Syd explained.

"Doesn't matter to me," Jack stated and they began to duel with Jack drawing a card. "I summon Mad Archfiend (Attack 1800/ Defense 0) in attack mode. I set a face down and end my turn."

Syd drew his card. "I summon Assault Wheel (Attack 2300/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Assault Wheel, attack Mad Archfiend!" he ordered.

"I activate Mad Archfiend's effect. This switches it to defense position," Jack defended.

The wheel destroyed Mad Archfiend and Syd stated, "You thought switching it to defense mode would be a good idea, didn't you? Well with Assault Wheel's effect, I can still deal damage." Jack's life points dropped to 1700. "But now since Assault Wheel attack, it's attack is reduced to 0 until my next standby phase (Assault Wheel: Attack 0). I then set two cards face down and end my turn."

Jack drew his card. "Since you control monsters while I control none, I can special summon Vice Dragon (Attack 2000/ Defense 2400) in attack mode but its original attack and defense is halved (Vice Dragon: Attack 1000/ Defense 1200)," he declared. "Next I activate Polymerization to fuse Big Piece Golem with Medium Piece Golem in order to fusion summon Multiple Piece Golem (Attack 2600/ Defense 1300). Next I normal summon Archfiend Interceptor (Attack 1400/ Defense 1600) in attack position. With Archfiend Interceptor, whenever you declare an attack with a monster you control, you'll take 500 points of damage. Now Multiple Piece Golem, attack Assault Wheel!"

"I activate Nightmare Wheel! This makes it so Multiple Piece Golem can't attack or change its battle position. And during each of my standby phases, you take 500 points of damage," Syd defended.

"Well, Vice Dragon, attack Assault Wheel!" Jack ordered.

"I activate Plunder Decoy to take control of your Archfiend Interceptor," Syd fought.

A replay occurred and Vice Dragon attack Assault Wheel. The effect of Archfiend Interceptor activated dropping Jack's life points to 1200. Vice Dragon destroyed Assault Wheel and dropped Syd's life points to 3000.

Syd drew his card to begin his turn. On his standby phase, the effect of Nightmare Wheel activated dropping Jack's life points again to 700. "I summon Cannon Wheel (Attack 500/ Defense 700)! I tune Archfiend Interceptor with Cannon Wheel in order to synchro summon Combat Wheel (Attack 2500/ Defense 1200)! When Cannon Wheel is used for a synchro summon, its effect delivers 500 points of damage at you!" Syd declared and Jack's life points dropped to 200. "Combat Wheel, attack Vice Dragon!"

"I activate Nightmare Archfiends! By tributing Vice Dragon, I can special summon three Nightmare Archfiend Tokens (Attack 2000/ Defense 2000) to your side of the field in attack mode," Jack fought.

Syd obviously decided not to attack with that in play. But he did play, "I activate Block Dugout! While Block Dugout is on the field, your monsters can't attack if their combined levels are less than the combined levels of all the monsters I control. I'll end my turn there."

Jack drew his card. "I summon Sinister Sprocket (Attack 400/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Next I tune Multiple Piece Golem with Sinister Sprocket to synchro summon. Rise, Chaos King Archfiend (Attack 2600/ Defense 2600)!" he declared. "And let's not forget, since Multiple Piece Golem has left the field, Nightmare Wheel is destroyed. Also, since Sinister Sprocket was sent to the graveyard for a synchro summon of a dark synchro monster, its effect allows me to destroy Black Dugout! Chaos King Archfiend, attack Combat Wheel!"

"I activate the effect of Combat Wheel! By discarding Urgent Tuning from my hand, I can increase the attack of Combat wheel by half the total attack of every monster I control (Combat Wheel: Attack 5500)!" he defended.

"I activate Chaos King Archfiend's effect. This swaps the attack and defense of every monster you control until the end phase (Combat Wheel: Attack 1200/ Defense 5500)!" Jack fought. Combat Wheel was destroyed and Syd's life points dropped to 1600. And since Syd used the effect of Combat Wheel in the turn it was destroyed, its effect activated, destroying all other monsters he controlled. And since the Nightmare Archfiend Tokens were destroyed, Syd took 800 points of damage for each one destroyed, dropping Syd's life points to 0 and making Jack the winner.

As Jack won, he was released while Syd who was passed out was getting close to the trash compactor. Knowing that his job was done for the most part, Jack decided to grab Syd and laid him on safe ground before he could be killed. Arch would've wanted them to be stopped, but he wouldn't have wanted them to die. Jack knew that and he would respect that.

Sector Security finally arrived a while later where Jack had beaten and knocked out all the other gang members. They took them away quickly while giving small thanks to Jack for the help.

' _Arch may be gone now and this may have not been entirely what he wanted, but he'll be able to rest a lot better knowing his murderers are finally going to get what they deserve,'_ Jack thought, pleased with his work. _'And I swear to you, Arch, I'll make sure I don't get too badly hurt, and I'll help keep Jayla from getting taken control of and killing Yusei in your place. Just rest well.'_

Later on, Jack returned to the hospital where Kaz was able stand a bit. Yusei and Jayla were watching him silently, but somewhat happy with their friend's achievement which shocked them the slightest bit.

Jack handed Kaz's Chaos King Archfiend to him and said, "Thanks for the help."

"we should have a turbo duel together one day. I need to thank that man who saved me as well," Kaz responded. "Do you know where I can find him at all?" Everyone went silent in an instant. "Oh no…" he muttered realizing it.

Trudge slowly spoke up, "Sorry, Kaz, but those bullets hit him in the chest and he died from his injuries shortly after your crash. He had a job to protect Jack and ended up saving _both_ of yours in the end. I think we should all be grateful that he was so selfless in the end."

"I agree," Kaz responded. "I'm just sorry I couldn't have done more for him."

"Now than the thieves are locked up, he'll be able to rest better," Jayla chimed in. "Just as long as Jack stays out of trouble like that." Jack glared at her warningly a bit while Yusei smirked and Kaz and Trudge chuckled. _'And Jack better not make a mistake like that again,'_ she thought a bit bitterly.


	13. Tests of Power- Part 1

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 13**

 **Tests of Power- Part 1**

Third Person POV

Jayla slowly opened her eyes, her head hurting a bit and her sight a bit foggy. She groaned a bit and attempted to focus her eyes. Slowly, it got better and she found myself somewhere she didn't recognize at all.

"Yusei?" Jayla called, but there was no response. She tried to sit up and move her arms to help me with that, but she was bound to a table with metal cuffs and her body ached at the movement. _'Was I drugged or something?'_ she thought. She tried to pull at her binds again, but she wasn't that shocked to find she was too weak. _'Where am I?'_ There was a cackle from her right side and she looked to see someone sitting in the darkness. "Who's there?"

"I'm surprised a Dragon Protector doesn't have as keen eyesight as I would've expected from something that isn't human," he responded and stepped into the light.

A young man walked into the light to show him wearing primarily white cloak-like clothing, over his own black and white riding suit and carries a sword. He also a grey metallic eyepiece that covered his right eye, and a triangular green circuitry-filled gem on his forehead, set off-center towards the left. He wore white hood, with decorative gray lightning bolts that point backwards like horns. From what Jayla could tell, under his hood, he had pale-skin, red-eyes and had spiky gray hair split down the middle into two different shades. He had a bald spot above his right eye with and small mark in the middle. Underneath his left eye, Primo has a scar that runs down his cheek. He was dressed in gray metallic armor, the major portion of which forms a large hoop-like collar around his neck that connects to encircle a large green gem on his chest, giving its Infinity-themed look.

"Who are you? How do you know about the Dragon Protectors?" Jayla asked tense.

"My name is Primo," he answered. "As for how I know, Primo told me a lot about you five. It's too bad you lost that one - Arch was his name, right?" She glared angrily. "Oh, struck a nerve, did I?"

"What do you want with me?" Jayla asked as she frantically tried to break her bonds.

"I merely want to study what makes Dragon Protectors so powerful," he replied. "After all, you're more powerful than the Signers."

"You're talking to the wrong girl. I'm not a Dragon Protector anymore," Jayla retorted.

"Oh, we both know you are. Yes, I heard of your death and resurrection; and I heard about you losing most of your powers and the forcing urge to protect and serve Yusei Fudo," Primo responded calmly. He gently touched her cheek. "But you are I both know you are still a Dragon Protector, even if you don't want to admit it to your boyfriend."

"How… How did you know about all that?" Jayla asked.

"Goodwin informed us of everything and we kept watch on the Signers, so we knew of your death. And even after that, we watched and found you brought back to life," Primo responded.

"Wait, who's 'we'?" she asked.

"I have a couple more associates," Primo answered. "They're not here right now. But for now…" He pressed a button on the side of the table and another cuff wrapped around her head, locking it down. "We have some work to do."

"Let me go, creep!" Jayla ordered frantically trying to find some way out of this.

"We're going to use what we learn from you to create better ways of making a new world," Primo told her and she went wide eyed. "Your power… a being made of light from a dragon god… It will all serve to create a better future."

"Not even my kind of power can create a better future! Only our actions can create a future better than now," Jayla argued.

Suddenly, a scanner was brought over her and a light was projected down and up her body, Primo breathlessly looking at the results. "Interesting, there is no heart really by appearance, but the blood still flows like there is. And it's the same with all other organs of a human's body. The only thing there is… Is that a stone?" He pressed some buttons. "Ah, I see now. That stone is where you contain and store all your power and abilities. If I extract it, I may be able to harness that power." The trapped girl went wide eyed in fear. "But first, a bit more research."

Jayla began to yank at her bonds harder. "You will not be able to do anything, bastard!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, did the little kitten finally give out a cuss word?" Primo mocked. "Haven't I already do quite a lot of things? Such as learning the source of your power?" He grabbed a syringe and neared it to the vein in her elbow.

"Back off!" Jayla ordered trying to pull away. Of course, her arms were stuck in place. She winced as the needle was forced into her vein and he began to extract the blood. But her blood wasn't the normal red. It was a white, glowing substance.

"Even the blood is different," Primo responded studying it. "Very interesting, indeed. We should take a few more samples."

"Touch me anymore and you will regret it," Jayla threatened, a bit shocked by her words.

"Oh, I highly doubt that," he responded. "We're just getting started."


	14. Tests of Power- Part 2

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 14**

 **Tests of Power- Part 2**

Third Person POV

' _Where is she?'_ Yusei thought worriedly as he drove around New Domino. She had disappeared last morning without any sign of where she went or what happened. Yusei only knew he woke up with a stinging neck and throbbing headache that told him he had been drugged.

"Yusei," Crow called over the com system as him, Wing, and Jack were also looking, "any sign of Jayla yet?"

"No," he answered. "I'm worried. She's never disappeared for this long, even before she was brought back." He then thought a bit frightened, _'What if that person I saw before got her? I need to find her… fast!'_

Over the com, they heard Wing say, "Master, I sense an energy similar to Jayla's nearby."

"Where?" Crow asked.

"A bit hard to tell, but somewhere by Satellite Pier," he answered.

"Jack, Crow, Wing, meet me there," Yusei ordered. "I'm closest to it."

"Right," they agreed.

"Just don't do anything risky before we do," Jack ordered. Yusei nodded before turning to hurry to the pier.

. . .

Jayla cried out as electricity shocked her. Primo was trying a test to see how long she would stay conscious with high volts being thrown at her. She was getting fearful and she knew she needed to find a way out fast.

Suddenly and relieving her, the electricity stopped. Jayla panted and gasped for breath as she looked at Primo when he came over her. "Getting a good enough look, Primo?" she growled.

"Still quite strong. Well, it does seem we've gotten all the information we can about you," Primo responded. "Perhaps it's time we get the stone from within you and harness that power."

"No, you can't do that! I don't think you want my blood on your hands," Jayla called.

"A little blood won't matter when a new future is made that will fix everything we have seen," Primo responded. He walked away before quickly coming back with some surgical utensils.

"I wouldn't do it, Primo. My power won't help you achieve the future you think is best. Trust me on that. So you might as well let me go and give up this quest," the girl told him. Primo scoffed in response and neared the blade towards Jayla's chest. Jayla began to tense and she felt a power rise within her. "Let. Me. Go!" she called before a powerful, dark blast was sent off of her, destroying the table completely and throwing Primo far back. Jayla landed on the ground hard and tried to stand up, but was weak. She heard the door to the place she was in open, but couldn't even muster the energy to look. _'What's happening to me?'_

. . .

Yusei and the others arrived at the pier and approached on warehouse, seeming something crackling inside. As they reached for the door, there was a huge pulse wave and they all felt a dark energy within it.

"What. Was that?" Crow asked.

"I have a feeling it was Jayla," Yusei answered. "Help me get this open!" They hurriedly opened it. He immediately noticed Jayla on her elbows and stomach, trying to get up. "Jayla!" He hurried to her and pulled her into him. He looked her over and noticed all the injuries on her.

There was a groan and they all looked to see a man getting up. "Such power…" he muttered. He looked at the new people there, more specifically at Yusei who was holding Jayla tight. "Seems it's too late to learn anything else. Let's just hope you can get her to contain that power." He then pressed something on his wrist before disappearing.

"Who was that guy?" Crow wondered.

"P-Primo," Jayla choked out. She took a couple deep breaths before saying more clearly, "His name is Primo."

"Do you know him, Jayla?" Yusei asked.

She shook her head. "No," she answered. "I just know his name because he told me it."

"Come on, Jayla," Yusei called gently. He carefully and caringly pulled her up into his arms. "Let's get home. You can explain everything there." She gave a soft, nervous nod. "I'm here, Jayla. It'll be alright now." She nodded again as she got him on his runner behind him.

When they arrived at the garage again, Yusei managed to convince Jayla to tell them everything that happened. So she did. From the last thing she remembered before the warehouse to the pulse wave that was sent from.

Once she finished the pulse wave part, she asked, "What happened with that? Why did I create a _dark_ pulse wave? I'm a being made of light!"

"With Earthbound Immortal energy in you," Wing replied. "They probably did something to stop you from getting killed."

"Why would they do that, though?" Jack asked.

"If you recall, the Earthbound Immortals want to use Jayla to kill Yusei. They can't do that if she's dead," Wing explained.

"That does make sense. But the Earthbound Immortals won't ever get her in their control again," Yusei responded sternly. "If anyone will make sure of that, I will."

"This power spurt may have been a test from the Earthbound Immortals," Wing commented and they looked at him. "See how much damage they can do through Jayla if she gets that same fear she had back there. We'll need to keep her calm and not frightened like that if we're going to have any chance of keeping her normal. After all, this dark pulse wave might've increased the hold they currently have on her."

Jayla looked down a bit, sensing the worry and fear. But she turned as Yusei placed a hand on her shoulder before leaning into him. "It'll be alright, Jayla. I promise," he whispered gently. "That guy won't get you again." She gave a slow nod. "Why don't you get to my bed and get some sleep?" She looked at him, worry clear on her face. "I'll stay with you, don't worry." She nodded again and he brought her to his bed. She lied down and Yusei laid the covers on top of her to keep her warm before placing his hand on her cheek caringly. "Just get some sleep, Jayla. I'll be right here, promise." She slowly closed her eyes, not taking even a second after to fall asleep. He kissed her forehead lightly, relieved that he didn't wake her up.

Yusei sighed a bit. _'He won't ever hurt you again,'_ he thought, almost angrily.


	15. Uneasy Feelings

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 15**

 **Uneasy Feelings**

Third Person POV

It was a good four days later. Everything was doing okay again, Jayla was healed for the most part, and things were returning to normal. If you didn't count Yusei being a bit more watchful and protective of Jayla.

But at the current moment, Yusei was dueling Akiza in an easy practice turbo duel. Jayla was watching from the sidelines with Leo and Luna.

"I activate Junk Archer's effect!" Yusei played. "This removes your Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from play until the end phase." Her monster disappeared from the field when the archer's arrow hit the plant. "Now Junk Archer, attack Akiza directly!" Junk Archer shot another arrow, hitting a part of Akiza's runner as her life points fell to 1700. Akiza started to lose balance on her duel runner. "Easy, Akiza. Don't try to control it by force. Put more weight into it," the male duelist instructed. Akiza followed the instructions and regained her grip and balance. As the two turbo duelists passed, Leo and Luna waved to Akiza.

"Akiza's really gotta the hang of turbo dueling, huh?" Luna commented.

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "I want to turbo duel too!"

"You turbo dueling?" Luna responded before laughing. "I won't say it."

"You don't have to laugh so much," Leo told her embarrassed a bit.

"Why wouldn't Leo be able to turbo duel, Luna?" Jayla asked.

Luna looked at her. "He's still working on riding a bicycle," she explained. "He wouldn't be able to even get the balance to turbo duel."

"I'm not so certain about that," Jayla responded and they looked at her confused. "Balance on a duel runner and balance on a bicycle are two very different things. Remember, before I met Yusei, I was a turbo duelist." They went a bit wide eyed. "Did I not tell you that?" The twins shook their heads. "Well, I was. I've never ridden a bicycle before, yet I still managed to learn to ride a duel runner because they are two different things. So, Leo, put your mind to it and I'm sure you'd be able to turbo duel sooner or later."

"Really think so, Jayla?" Leo asked.

She nodded. "So you better not give up on turbo dueling," she ordered.

Leo smiled. "Right!" he agreed.

. . .

Meanwhile, three men known as a boy, Primo, and an older man were sitting on their thrones watching Yusei and Akiza's duel. The boy seemed more like a child with a smaller and younger looking body and the older man was a tall, wide. Just like Primo, each had some sort of metal cover on either eye or their mouth and each metal cover had a infinity symbol on it.

"This is lame. I had thought the circuits would start up since it's a duel between two Signers," the boy commented.

"Not enough power, it seems," the eldest man responded. "Still, we mustn't be impatient. It will all start with the World Racing Grand Prix. Only once all of the circuits are completed by the WRGP, will the great power we desire, the power enveloping this world, will be unleashed."

"Will things really go that smoothly?" Primo asked. The older man looked at him uncertain by his associates words. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about the Crimson Dragon's existence. Goodwin's plan failed because of the Crimson Dragon. As long as the Signers are around, I can't see our plans proceeding as scheduled."

"What's your point?" the boy asked.

Primo pointed at Yusei. "I will defeat him and steal Stardust Dragon. If we just steal Stardust Dragon, the Crimson Dragon can't muddle up our plans," he replied.

"How do you suppose to do that? You couldn't beat Yusei before," the boy responded. He laughed silently. Suddenly, the smallest one exclaimed, "It's here! It's my tablet! I've been waiting for you! I knew Primo wouldn't be able to do this on his own!" Lester silently laughed sinisterly again while the other two didn't make any other comments.

. . .

Meanwhile Yusei and Akiza were sitting at the track for a break by the twins and Jayla with Crow talking to them and Wing beside his Signer.

"Hey, did you hear about the meteorite?" Crow asked. They looked at him confused.

"Meteorite?" Yusei repeated.

"Everyone's talking about the meteorite that hit the outskirts of New Domino. By what I've heard, it's raising a big stink," Crow explained.

"So that rumbling a while ago was a meteorite?" Leo responded.

"The Ghost appeared right after a meteorite crashed around the last time," Yusei commented.

"Yeah," Crow agreed.

"Is the same thing going to happen this time too?" Akiza asked.

"I'm not sure. But it seems like some kind of warning," Wing chimed in.

"Why don't we go check it out?" Crow suggested which everyone agreed to.

Jayla got on behind Yusei, Leo got on behind Crow, and Luna got on behind Akiza while Wing flew invisible. They quickly reached the area where too many people to count were surrounding the area, trying to get a look.

Crow walked up to one of them and asked, "What's going on? We want to see the meteor."

"Sorry, dude. Security's got the place locked up tight and anything passed this point is off-limits," the man explained.

The others walked over and Leo commented, "We're too late."

"Yusei?" Akiza called.

"Yeah," Yusei agreed. "We're too late for anything now." He then thought, _'I have a bad feeling about this, though.'_ He noticed Jayla seemed a bit worried and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She looked at him and nodded.

. . .

The next morning, Ms. Barttlet walked into her classroom at the Duel Academy and was greeted by her students.

"Good morning. Today, I'll be introducing a new friend to everyone. Come on in." A young boy walked in with long brown hair. "He just transferred here."

"Hi, my name is Lester. I'm pleased to meet you," he greeted. Every girl was practically amatory to his looks and every boy was whispering about wishing to be like Lester. Every boy but Leo, that is. He seemed annoyed and bored.

Lester turned to Luna, smiling kindly and whispered to her, "Hi." Luna turned her head a bit and blushed.

Leo looked quite more annoyed at the fact. _'What's his deal? Talk about creepy,'_ he thought.

"Everyone is familiar with the Juvenile Grand Prix that takes place at the Duel Academy east branch, right?" Ms. Barttlet continued.

Bob, a friend of the twins, raised his hand and said, "It's a tournament that's said to be tough to even enter."

"Right. And I heard Lester won that tournament," Ms. Barttlet told them.

"Cute _and_ he can duel?" Patty, another friend, responded surprised.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask Lester. I'm sure it will help you in your studies," Ms. Barttlet suggested.

"Yes, ma'am!" the class agreed.

"He sure seems nice, doesn't he, Leo?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, sure," Leo gave in. He looked at Lester as everyone focused on class, _'Him winning, my foot. I can probably finish him in one shot.'_

. . .

Leo yelled as Lester commanded Gear Golem the Moving Fortress to attack Morphtronic Videon. Morphtronic Videon was destroyed causing Leo's remaining 600 life points to drop down to zero as he fell to the ground.

"Lester wins!" Ms. Barttlet called.

"Nice combo," Patty said.

"That's a veteran champion for you. Leo and Lester are on two different levels," Bob responded. Leo got annoyed hearing this.

"It's not a big deal," Lester told them.

"Well next up to duel is Bob and Luna," Ms. Barttlet called.

Luna ran passed Lester and told him, "Good job, Lester."

"Good luck, Luna," he told her. "Can't wait to see you duel."

Luna stopped and turned to him, blushing slightly. "You're going to watch me duel? Really? Thanks! I hope I don't disappoint you," she responded. She then ran off again to get to her duel.

' _Now show me how a real Signer duels,'_ Lester thought.

The duel between Luna and Bob started with Luna going first. "First I summon Sunlight Unicorn and set two faces down. That ends my turn," she played. Bob began his turn while Lester seemed suspicious.

After the duel, Luna was walking and Lester caught up to her. "Hey, Lester," she greeted.

"What happened in your duel just now?" he asked confusing her. "With your skills, it shouldn't have taken more than a minute to beat someone like that."

"Wait-" she began but Lester cut her off.

"Are you not feeling well?" he asked.

"Th-That's… not it. It was truthfully my skills. Now, I'm in a hurry. I have to go," Luna said hurrying away calling back, "Bye!"

"She's hiding her true identity as a Signer here, is she? I have a plan then," Lester said to himself.

. . .

Leo and Luna walked into the garage while Yusei worked on the duel runner and Jayla was helping him a bit here and there. They turned to the twins.

"Hey, guys," Jayla greeted. "How was Duel Academy?"

"Okay," Leo answered.

"It's was pretty cool. We got a new kid in class today," Luna began. "His name's Lester. He really nice and a great duelist. I mean, you should've seen the way he summoned monsters and how he made combos. He's got all the makings of a great duelist. Oh, he's really cute too!"

Yusei chuckled. "Sounds like you really like this Lester, huh?"

"Everyone likes him," she replied. She looked at her twin. "Right, Leo?"

"Eh… There's something off about that guy if you ask me," he replied taking the elder two's attention. Leo fixed his backpack back into position. "Well, I'm going to head home. See ya later guys!"

"What's wrong with Leo?" Yusei asked standing up.

"Oh, he's just mad because he lost to Lester in a duel today," Luna explained. "I'm sure it'll pass soon enough. Anyway, I have to get going. I'll see you later!"

"See ya, Luna," Jayla responded.

Once the door was shut, Yusei asked his girlfriend, "What do you think?"

"Leo has great instincts even though he doesn't realize it. I think we should be careful around this Lester until we can get an idea on him. If Leo doesn't like him, it's for a reason other than losing a duel," she replied. "I mean, he lost a duel to you and to Greiger and didn't hold a serious grudge to either one of you like Luna sees him as now."

"I agree. I'm just worried Lester is apart of these men that took you," Yusei responded, the end before he could stop it. He noticed Jayla look down a bit at those words. "Jayla, it isn't your fault you got into that situation."

"It is, though. I should've been smarter; I should've sensed him getting close enough to take me and wake up; I-"

"Jayla, we were both drugged. We couldn't have woken up in that situation. Even if you did sense him," Yusei told her. "It isn't your fault. It's my fault for not getting to you sooner which resulted in you getting hurt more than you should've."

"Yusei…" she muttered looking at him shocked.

"The next step we need to take is move past that and focus on protecting our friends from those men," he told her. She gave a slow nod of agreement. He brought her against him and held her close. "It'll be fine in the end, Jayla. I promise."


	16. Danger Even in the Youngest

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 16**

 **Danger Even in the Youngest**

Third Person POV

The next day, Leo and Luna walked towards Duel Academy while saying "good morning" to some of their classmates.

"Luna," called Lester and she turned to face them while Leo looked annoyed. They walked up to him. "Good morning. I've been waiting for you."

"You have?" she responded.

"I wanted to speak to you about something," he replied.

"Me?" Luna asked a bit curious.

"Yeah," Lester answered with a nod.

"No, you don't," Leo tried to intervene.

"Do you have time after school?" Lester asked Luna.

"Nope, absolutely not," Leo replied, waving his hands up and trying to stop it.

Lester ignored him and continued, "Would you like to come over to my house? There's something I want to show you."

"What is it?" Luna asked genuinely curious.

"You'll find out after you come over," Lester replied.

Leo stepped in front of Luna and said, "She can't. We have plans after school, so we'll be busy."

"I am talking to Luna. Would you mind not cutting in?" Lester asked.

"Luna and I are always together. So if I say no, then it's no for her as well!" Leo retorted and grabbed Luna's hand and walked away with an annoyed look saying, "Let's go."

"Leo, stop pulling," Luna called. She waved to Lester, calling back hurriedly, "Sorry, Lester. My brother's a bit… protective." When they entered the Academy, Leo looked annoyed. "Leo, come on. You lost a duel with Lester, so what? You always have another chance."

"Listen, there's just something off about that guy, alright?" he responded. "I don't trust him."

"Leo…" Luna sighed before they entered class.

. . .

Later, Leo and Bob were walking through the hall when Ms. Barttlet stepped in front of Leo. "Leo, do you mind staying after school? I have something I want you to do," she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Leo replied.

"I appreciate it," Ms. Barttlet told him walking passed the two students.

. . .

It was the end of the day and Luna was saying goodbye to Bob and Patty. They then went their separate directions. Luna turned as a honk was heard to face the direction of the noise. A black limousine pulled up to Luna and the third window opened to reveal Lester.

"Hey, Luna," he greeted.

"What're you doing in a limo?" Luna asked.

"My parents are pretty wealthy. You're not with Leo?" Lester replied. "Do you want a ride?"

"I'm not sure," Luna replied.

"We'll go to my house. I did have that something to show you," Leo responded.

"Oh, okay. Since you went through so much trouble," Luna agreed and got into the car with him.

. . .

Meanwhile, Leo waited for Ms. Barttlet for a while. "She sure is taking her time," he muttered. "What could she be doing?" The teacher walked by her classroom and noticed Leo. "Ms. Barttlet!"

"What're you doing staying so late?" she asked. "You shouldn't do that. Hurry and go home." She then walked away.

Leo left alert after that.

. . .

Luna and Lester entered the gates to a large mansion. "Wow, it's amazing, Lester," Luna complimented. "It's like a palace. You must be really rich."

"You could say that," Lester responded.

The limousine stopped and a butler greeted Lester, "Welcome back, young master."

"Hello," Lester responded.

"Uh, hi. I'm just visiting," Luna greeted politely. Lester walked by the butler and said, "Can you make some sweets and tea for our guest?"

"Without delay, sir," the butler responded.

. . .

Meanwhile Leo headed towards Lester's mansion. _'Lester was after Luna from the very start,'_ he thought. He quickly arrived at the mansion and Leo climbed up and over the bars. He hit behind a tree and quickly moved closer. He started walking behind a bush when he stopped, hearing Luna's voice. Leo looked up and was surprised when he saw something. _'Is that a skateboard?'_

"Amazing, Lester!" Luna praised as Lester continued to show off by jumping and doing tricks. "That's amazing!"

Lester stopped next to her and got off. "Now you try it," he told her.

"I couldn't, not yet," Luna responded nervously.

"I made it to match your body type," Lester told her, surprising the Signer. "It's my little present. Please take it."

Luna took it and said, "Thanks. But why give it to me?"

"I want to duel you on duel board in a serious turbo duel," he replied.

"Turbo duel?" Luna repeated confused.

' _What does Lester mean?'_ Leo wondered still hiding.

"By inserting the cord here and connecting this plug here to the momentum, it can link up with your duel disk," Lester explained as he plugged it in and connecting the wire to Luna's duel disk.

"You're right," Luna responded.

"Let's get started. I'll show you how to ride it," Lester said.

"Right," Luna agreed. _'I have a bad feeling about this,'_ she thought but didn't let it show.

' _I have to tell the guys about this,'_ Leo thought as he left.

Lester continued to encourage Luna as she tried to keep her balance on the duel board. The butler walked over and told Lester, "I have brought some refreshments."

"Thank you," Lester responded. "Where's the other guest?"

"He seems to have left," the butler answered.

"All according to plan," the boy responded while laughing silently in a sinister way. "Sorry about making you do all this butler stuff, Primo."

"There no need to apologize. I just wanted to see these Signers for myself," the butler, Primo, told him as they looked at Luna who was trying not to fall off the board.

"Is that so?" Lester responded and silently laughed again.

. . .

Leo had come over to the apartment and began to explain what he saw with Lester and Luna. Jack and Crow were there paying as close attention as Yusei and Jayla.

"A duel board?" Jack repeated as Leo explained the name.

"Yeah," Leo answered and began to draw it. "It looks like this. And if you connect this wire to both the duel board and duel disk, you can duel with it."

"Now I get it, with that, one could have a simplistic version of a turbo duel," Jack said. "That's one interesting idea."

"What do you think?" Leo asked Yusei and Jayla.

"In theory, it's pretty simple. I could probably build it out of some spare parts," Yusei explained.

"I want to beat Lester and protect Luna. Can you please make a duel board for me?" Leo begged.

"I guess I could," Jayla replied.

"No debating it, it seems," Yusei gave in.

"Alright!" Leo cheered. "Thanks!" Yusei and Jayla couldn't help but give a slight grin at his enthusiasm.

. . .

Lester dropped Luna off at her house. "Thanks, Lester," she told him.

"No problem. I'll be waiting again tomorrow," he responded.

"Can Leo come with me?" Luna asked.

"Leo?" Lester questioned.

Luna nodded. "He's wanted to turbo duel for a while now. I'm sure it'll make him really happy," she told him.

"Of course, he's welcome to come," Lester agreed. "Goodbye, Luna."

"Bye, Lester," she responded as he left. She then walked into her house. "Leo, I'm home!" No response. "Leo!" She stopped. "He's not home yet?"

. . .

Yusei screwed a piece on the duel boards, fitting it to Leo's feet. Jayla was helping with everything. The Signer looked up at Leo who nodded, telling them it fits fine.

After a while, Leo fell asleep on the couch while Yusei and Jayla worked on the programming data for Leo's duel board.

. . .

The next morning, Yusei handed Leo a finished duel board. "Thanks, guys," the boy responded.

"Remember, protect Luna the best you can with it," Jayla told him.

"Right!" Leo agreed and ran out to go practice riding it.

"Aren't you worried about Leo?" Jayla asked after a few moments of silence.

"Of course, I am," Yusei answered. "But, if anything happens, we'll head over there and help them as best we can. Right?"

"Right," Jayla agreed almost instantly.

. . .

Meanwhile at a practice lane, Leo rode around on his duel board, trying to keep a good balance. He continued fell but immediately got back up.

"No way am I giving in," Leo stated continuing his attempts. Leo then stopped when he spotted Luna at the end of the lane. "What're you doing here?"

"I asked Yusei and he said you might be here," she answered.

"Are you sure you don't need to go to Lester's house?" he asked.

"That's was just a play, Leo. You know that, remember? And I'm sure I don't need to go. You want to beat Lester, right?" Luna asked and he looked at her. "I want to support you. So let's practice together."

"Yeah," Leo agreed with a smile.

The twins rode round, practicing while having a great time and encouraging each other. Leo looked up above them and saw someone watching them. _'Who's that?'_ he thought noticing the figure didn't match Jayla's, Rose's, or Wing's shape.

The man got a duel board and headed towards Leo. After landing, the man knocked Leo off his duel board causing Luna to call his name worried.

"I have no need for Leo. I only have a need for you," the man said. "We're going to duel just like this." The man pulled out a rod like duel disk and green energy formed in the front of it. Luna's duel disk activated and her duel board moved on its own. "Follow me!"

Luna reached her hand toward Leo. "Leo!" she called.

"Luna!" he called back and got on his duel board, quickly catching up to the two. "I'll be facing you… Lester."

"Sounds fun," the man responded. "And it's great to know you know who I am. It'll be even better when I eliminate you two."

Lester set Speed World 2 on his duel disk which produced both the speed world and the infinity symbol. Parts of the duel lane came up saying a turbo duel was starting a computer then said, "Submitting duel lane to central, authorization granted."

"Leo, what should we do? I've never been in a turbo duel before," Luna asked her twin.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you," Leo reassured. "We'll win, just like how we beat Demak together!" Luna nodded.

After getting around the corner, all three called, "Duel!"


	17. Duel Against Skiel

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 17**

 **Duel Against Skiel**

Luna's POV

"How about you start off the duel, Luna?" Lester asked.

I drew my card. "I summon Bird of Roses (Attack 1800/ Defense 1500) in attack mode and I end my turn," I declared.

"An attack power of 1800?" Lester asked mockingly. He drew his card. "I summon Absurd Stealer (Attack 100/ Defense 0) in attack mode. When Absurd Stealer is successfully summoned, my opponent's monster's attack go to 0 and make Absurd's attack points equal the defense points of your monster until the end phase. Now Absurd Stealer, attack Bird of Roses!" The bird was destroyed and my life points dropped to 2500.

"Luna!" Leo called very worried.

I was about to fall but, only apparent to me, Regulus caught me on his back and pulled me back into the duel. "Thanks, Regulus," I told him before clutching my chest in burning pain.

"Did you like that? In this duel you feel the damage to your life points," Lester responded.

"What?" Leo responded shocked.

I clutched her chest in pain tighter and my Signer mark glowed. "Yusei…" I called quietly.

"When Bird of Roses is destroyed by battle, I can special summon two Plant-type Tuner monsters from my deck," I explained. I special summoned the level 2 tuner monster Nettles (Defense 400) in defense mode and the level 1 tuner Spore (Defense 800) in defense mode.

"I set three cards face down and end my turn," Lester declared.

"You'll be attacking Luna again over my dead body. For doing that, I'm going to defeat you!" Leo exclaimed angrily. He began his turn and drew. "I summon Morphtronic Datatron (Attack 1200) in attack mode. Morphtronic Datatron, attack Absurd Stealer!"

"You fell for it!" Lester exclaimed. "I activate the face-down Trap Card Exus Summon. It returns a monster selected as an attack target to my hand, and special summons a monster from my hand with a lower attack power. So I summon Sky Core (Attack 0) in attack mode."

"But why? It's so low in attack power," Leo commented.

"This is why," Lester said activating another face down. "I activate Torrential Tribute! When a monster is summoned, I can destroy all monsters on the field." Leo and I were surprised that Lester was destroying his own monster. All the while, a flood wiped out all the monsters on the field. "When Sky Core is destroyed by a card effect, it destroys all monsters on my field and from my deck, hand, or Graveyard, I can special summon Meklord Emperor Skiel Infinity (Attack 0), Skiel Top (Attack 600), Skiel Attack (Attack 1000), Skiel Guard (Attack 200), and Skiel Carrier (Attack 400)."

"Did he really just summon five monsters at once?" Leo asked surprised.

"Yep and activate Meklord Emperor Skiel Infinity's effect," Lester declared. He didn't explain anything but instead all of the parts came together, forming a machine-like bird with 2200 attack points.

"Oh no," Leo muttered.

"Thanks to you I was able to summon my greatest monster! Now bring it on! I'll show you what true Dueling is all about!" Lester exclaimed laughing maniacally.

Leo, who was carefully looking at Meklord Emperor Skiel, said "It's a combination monster. If this the thing Yusei was talking about?" _'Yusei said something important about this,'_ Leo thought. He began to try to remember.

An image of Kuribon was hiding behind me. "Kuribon, are you scared?" I asked trying to be brave. An image of Regulus then appeared which I said his name in return.

" _Be careful, I sense something dangerous from him,"_ Regulus warned.

"Could this be some kind of terrible trap?" I wondered frightened.

"What're you going to do? Now's your chance to surrender," Lester asked before laughing sinisterly.

"Who'd surrender to you?" Leo asked angrily as he drew his card."I set one card face down and end my turn."

Lester began his turn drawing his card. "First, I'll activate Trap Stun. During this turn, no trap cards can be activated," Lester declared shocking Leo. "Now Meklord Emperor Skiel, attack Leo directly. The machine turns to Leo and then lifted up its gun. It fired a red ball of energy that hit Leo, making him scream from the pain as his life points drop from 4000 to 1800.

"Leo!" I called worried.

A few seconds later, Leo rode out of the smoke from the blast with a few visible scratches. I sighed in relief that he was okay.

"How did you like that direct attack from Meklord Emperor Skiel, because I'm going to rough you up even more next time," Lester said. He laughed and finished with one card face down.

"You won't be hurting Leo anymore," I told him. "I summon Sunlight Unicorn (Attack 1800) in attack mode. Next I activate Spore's effect from in my graveyard. I remove Nettles from my Graveyard in order to special summon Spore from my graveyard. Now, Spore's level increases equal to the levels of the removed cards. So now Spore is a level three. I think I'll tune my Spore and my Sunlight Unicorn. The sacred guardian's light crosses paths now and becomes eternal life! I synchro summon! Shine, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" I declared. My amazing dragon took to the field. She took to attack mode with 2100 attack points.

"There it is," Lester said quietly.

"Now I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect. It can Special Summon a level 4 or lower monster from my hand once per turn. I choose to special summon the level 3 Fairy Archer (Defense 600) in Defense mode. Now once during each of her turns, Fairy Archer's effect can deal 400 points of damage to my opponent's Life Points for each Light Attribute monster on the field," I declared.

Fairy Archer formed a bow and, after aiming, fired it at Lester. It hit him in the back creating a small explosion. Lester's life points went from 4000 to 3200. Lester simply brushed off his arm.

"He didn't feel the damage at all?" Leo asked shocked.

"What's going on, Leo? Why can we feel pain and he doesn't?" I wondered.

Lester turns to them with an amused smile. "I'm not the type to feel such a trifle amount of pain," he said and laughed sinisterly. I placed two cards face down and ended my turn. Lester began his turn and drew. "I activate Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity's effect. Once per turn, it can absorb an opponent's Synchro Monster," Lester declared. After he said this, the middle of the emperor where the green light is in, glows completely green.

Green strings of energy came out of Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity and they wrapped around Ancient Fairy Dragon. Ancient Fairy Dragon struggled to get free while I exclaimed her name, unbelievably worried. Leo had his own look of deep worry. As Skiel pulled in Ancient Fairy Dragon, I muttered its name again.

"Stop this, Lester! Let Ancient Fairy Dragon go!" Leo ordered. The bird-like machine pulled the Dragon completely in, shocking everyone visibly. I once again said Ancient Fairy Dragon's name and said it had been absorbed.

Lester laughed, and then said, "I sure took that Ancient Fairy Dragon."

I heard Leo mutter, "I've got to remember more quick."

After he said that, though, he turns his attention back to Lester who flew into the air. Lester then jumps behind them and zooms passed them both. Lester goes passed them and Leo said his name.

I took notice of Lester then observing me through his visor. "Thanks to Machine Emperor Skiel Infinity's effect, it increases in attack power equal to the attack power of the equipped Synchro Monster (Meklord Emperor Skiel: Attack 4300)."

"That's not good," Leo commented in surprise.

"Next I play the speed spell Summon Close. When my speed counters are at four or more, it prevents the opposing players from special summoning during this turn," Lester declared.

"Not again," Leo moaned.

"I can see right through your tactics. Now Machine Emperor Skiel, how about you attack Leo directly?" Lester ordered. The bird-like machine turned around, lifted up its gun, and powered up a green blast before firing it at Leo.

As the blast went for Leo, I got in front of my brother protectively, and activated my face-down Twinkle Wall. "By taking half the damage of an opponent's attacking monster, this card will negate it's attack."

My card got right in front of Leo, shielding him from the blast, but parts of the blast hit me as I screamed in pain. "Luna!" Leo screamed worried.

As I came out of the smoke, I was hurting, as well as struggling to stay up, and my Life Points were now at 350. I thought to myself, _'I can handle the pain and if I hadn't been fooled into trusting Lester, this wouldn't have happened.'_

As Lester looked at me, he said, "In my mind, it's good that's the way we're playing. I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Leo began his turn. As Leo looked at his hand, before he summoned the level 3 Morphtronic Scopen in Attack mode (Attack 800). "While Morphtronic Scopen is in Attack mode, once per turn I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Morphtronic monster from my hand. So I choose to Special Summon the level 4 Morphtronic Boomboxen (Attack 1200) in Attack mode. Now I tune my level 3 Tuner Morphtronic Scopen with my level 4 Morphtronic Boomboxen." Leo declared. As Morphtronic Scopen turned into green rings and Morphtronic Boomboxen went through it, Leo chanted, "Docking strength with courage in order to protect world peace! I synchro Summon! The messenger of love and justice! Power Tool Dragon!" Power Tool Dragon (Attack 2300) appeared on the field.

"Synchro Monster? That's why you're no good!" Lester mocked.

Leo tried to keep calm. Power Tool Dragon roared, a bit angry with the insults thrown at its master.

I called out Leo's name worried. Leo however ignored it and played the speed spell Summon Speeder. "When my speed counters are at 4 or more, I can special summon a level 4 lower monster from my hand. So I summon the level 1 Morphtronic Vacuumen (Defense 0) to the field in defense position. While in defense mode, Morphtronic Vacuumen can equip a monster on the opponent's field to itself," he declared.

"I'm equipping Machine Emperor Skiel to Morphtronic Vacuumen," Leo declared. Morphtronic Vacuumen opened up its vacuum and sucked Skiel towards it.

"I play my face down, Convert Ghost. When a monster on his field is selected as an effect's target, this card can change the target to a monster in his Graveyard," Lester retorted.

Leo gasped in surprise. The monster in Lester's graveyard came out of his Duel Disk and flew into the vacuum instead.

Akiza, who is shocked, said, "It avoided it."

"Your simple plans just won't work on me," Lester insulted. I glared with a look of anger at Lester for insulting my brother and Leo glared at Lester the same. Leo placed a card face down and ended his turn. Our opponent began his turn with draw.

Leo instantly revealed his face down, Power Break. "When a Power Tool Dragon is on the field, it returns all equipped or absorbed cards back to the deck," Leo explained. This shocked Lester visibly. "And for each card returned your inflicted 500 points of direct damage."

The vacuum on Morphtronic Vacuumen lifted up, as Lester's monster went from it, back into Lester's deck, while Ancient Fairy Dragon came out of Machine Emperor Skiel, which Luna happily whispered its name as it entered its deck. Machine Emperor Skiel's attack points go from 4300 to its original 2200.

Lester then groans and looks in pain as he takes the damage, and his Life Points dropped from 3200 to 2200.

"I would never let you have Ancient Fairy Dragon, Lester. I warned you to stay away from my sister Lester but you wouldn't listen! Well now you see, not only am I going to protect her with all of my might, but I'll also protect the things that she holds dear, don't mess with my sister!" Leo yelled at Lester.

"Leo," I muttered touched by his words, and then nodded while smiling.

Lester clenched his fist and yelled, "Now you've done it! I'm going to pound the snot out of you! You'll regret ever making me mad!" Lester activated Speed World 2's effect. "By discarding 7 speed counters, I can draw one more card. Then, I activate my face-down Sky A3. It sends one monster on the field with Skiel Attack in its name to the graveyard to special Summon a Skiel Attack 3 (Attack 1200) from my hand." A new part appeared on the field, attaches itself to the bottom of Meklord Emperor Skiel, becoming the new gun, and the Machine Emperors attack went from 2200 to 2400.

"It powered up," Leo commented.

"Next I release Skiel Attack 3 in order to special summon Skiel Attack 5 (Attack 1400)." The gun at the bottom of Meklord Emperor Skiel disappeared as another part appeared and then attached itself becoming the second new gun (Machine Emperor Skiel: Attack 2600). "Now, Skiel Attack 5's effect activates. Meklord Emperor Skiel, why not attack Leo directly?" Lester commanded.

The bird-like machine turns around, as a white gun appears out of the bottom and powers up a red blast. Once powered up, the gun fired a big red beam at Leo, which hit him, creating an explosion, which destroyed all of Leo's monsters, and causes Leo to yell and get blown right off the circuit. Leo's life points dropped from 1800 to 0.

I instantly stopped and screamed Leo's name as I saw Leo get blown off, and stopped their Duel Runners. As Leo fell towards the ground, everyone's marks begin to react and glow. The Crimson Dragon then appeared.

"The… Crimson Dragon," I muttered shocked. I gasped a bit. The Crimson Dragon then formed a red bubble-like shield in its hand, and then tossed it down to Leo. It engulfed and stopped him from falling. I heard Yusei yelled Leo's name, as the bubble sets Leo down softly.

The Crimson Dragon then disappeared as I noticed my friends over on the other side. Akiza commented, "He's safe."

"The Crimson Dragon saved him," Crow commented.

"Luna! Leo's safe!" Yusei called.

"Everyone," I muttered. Then closed my eyes for a minute, smiling with relief. I then puts my hand on my heart and thought, _'Thank goodness for the Crimson Dragon, he'll always save the day.'_

The duel continues as Lester said, "Tch, look at him, narrowly escaping death! I won't let that happen again. I will defeat you, Luna, and you alone. I set a card face down and end my turn."

I got angry and said, "Who'd be defeated by the likes of you! I won't let Leo's will go in vain!" I began my turn and drew. I normal summons the level 4 Regulus (Attack 1700) in attack mode. "Next I activate, Ancient Sunshine. When Regulus is on the field, by removing Ancient Fairy Dragon from my deck from the game, I can inflict 2100 points of direct damage to you." Regulus' horn turned yellow.

"If this hits, Lester will only have 100 Life Points points left," Jack commented.

Lester however smiled sinisterly and revealed the face down. It was the trap card Infinity Force. "When a monster with Infinity in its name is on his field, and effect damage from an opponent's card effect occurs, it zero-outs the damage and destroys all monsters on my opponent's field." This made me gasp as Regulus fired the yellow beam out of its horn, but before the attack hit's Lester, his trap got in front and protected him. After the card received the attack, it fired white beams at my monsters, destroying them.

Lester laughed, and then said, "You've run out of options now!"

I looked at my deck as Lester began his turn and drew. Lester commanded Machine Emperor Skiel to attack me directly. I gasped afraid as the gun on the bottom of the Machine Emperor powers up a red blast.

After being powered up, it fired a red beam at me.

The beam hit me, but it seemed to be moving and nothing hit me. I uncovers my arm from my face, only to notice that Kuribon and my spirit friends is trying to stop the beam from hurting me. My spirits tried everything they could to hold the attack back, but eventually they were unable to and the beam hit me hard, as my Life Points go from 350 to 0.

I came out of the smoke, but was barely keeping my balance and wobbling all over the place. Just as I was about to hit some glass, an image of Regulus pushed me out of the way, to which I thanked him.

My Duel Board slowly came to a stop while Lester, however, didn't look happy that I survived and left the scene. I took off my helmet and thanked Regulus and the others, to which they nodded.

. . .

Later on, Leo and I back tracked to Lester's mansion with the others following.

"There's nothing here, guys," Crow commented at the empty space.

"That's strange, I'm sure it was here," Leo said. He turns to them. "It was this big mansion." He turned to me. "Right?"

"Yeah, he said he lived there," I agreed.

Jack asked, "Are you sure?"

"I think they're right," Jayla replied and Yusei nodded. "This is just the beginning, guys," she said. "And it will probably only get harder."


	18. Worries Upon Worries

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 18**

 **Worries Upon Worries**

Jayla's POV

The next morning, I rode behind Yusei as he tested out the new engine. He seemed a bit uncertain and tense, and I didn't like that.

So I suggested, "Want to head to the overlook in the Infinity Tower?" It was his favorite place to hang out when he had something bothering him. I had a feeling it might help.

He nodded and turned directions. I gripped on a bit tight at the sudden turn. "Easy, Jayla," he called back gently grabbing my hands locked around his waist.

I realized how tight I was holding Yusei and immediately said, "S-Sorry."

"It's fine," he told me. "Don't worry about me. I thought you used to turbo duel?"

"I did. But I haven't in awhile, not that that matters. Besides, I'm used to riding around a duel runner on my own with the exception of those few times I rode with you," I explained. He nodded in acceptance and I laid my head against his back. We found our way to our favorite spot inside the Infinity Tower.

I slowly got off and allowed my arms to rest on the railing. Yusei came beside me as a gently breeze blew my hair back in a relaxing current. But even so, I was still a bit tense for two reasons. One of which, I was reluctant to tell Yusei.

But I spoke up about the other, "Are the Meklord Emperors still worrying you too?" I asked.

"Yeah," he answered. "After the Ghost and what happened to Leo and Luna…"

"I know," I agreed. We went silent again.

After a few silent minutes, Yusei asked, "What aren't you telling me?" I looked at him confused. He was looking at me with a waiting expression.

"Yusei, I…" I stopped.

"Jayla, let me help you," he told me. He pushed some hair out of my face saying, "I love you, Jayla. You know that. So let me be there for you and help you."

I sighed and looked down in a sad, worried manner. "I'm really getting scared, Yusei. I mean, Rose, Ancient, and Wing are full Dragon Protectors. And I get the feeling that that man will be coming after me, not including the possibility of him going after one of the others. And…" I trailed off.

"It'll be alright, Jayla," he told me. "I won't let him touch our friends or you. I promise, he won't be able to get you away from me." He brought me into him tight. He whispered into my hair softly, "Not again."

"I… I know," I agreed though I was reluctant. I didn't want him to get hurt.

Obviously noticing my reluctance, he brought my face up to meet him. He made me look straight in his eyes. I relaxed a bit as I looked into that relaxing shade of cobalt blue eyes. And when he took my lips to his, I couldn't stop myself from giving in to the loving gesture and relaxing further.

When Yusei pulled back, he looked at me carefully. "I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure you stay safe and stay with me," he vow to me in a whisper. "And have I ever broken a promise that I feel like I could truly keep?"

"Not ever on purpose,"I answered.

"Then you know I'll do every little bit I can to keep the promise,"he responded. I nodded. I was about to say more when I knew we both heard two duel runners driving up the base of the towers. I slowly pulled back from Yusei. "They already know about us, Jayla. It shouldn't matter whether we're in that position or not now."

"It's… just a bit awkward to be seen in that sort of position," I responded blushing lightly. I turned back to the oceanic view across from us followed by Yusei.

It was then that we heard two duel runners park behind us. We looked back for a moment to see Jack and Crow walking up. I slowly turned back to the ocean.

"What's up, you guys?" Crow called.

I closed my eyes as another breeze blew through my hair. I didn't like the feeling my instincts were sending me. It was foreboding and worrying.

We stayed silent, so Jack asked, "What's going on with you two?"

"We're just uneasy about all of this," Yusei replied. "And Yliaster is behind all of this. And that man who took Jayla is probably a part of them."

"Yliaster? I remember Goodwin talking about that group from time to time," Jack responded. "But I don't know; Yliaster just sounded like a bunch of mystic Junk."

Yusei turned to the two other males there. "They're real, Jack. Roman told me about the group that sent him to become a Dark Signer. And then there was Sherry who dueled me. She told us about how Yliaster killed her parents. And how else would that Primo have gotten the means to do all that stuff to Jayla?"

Jack scoffed for a moment before saying, "Really think they are the ones behind everything?"

"I don't know. But if Primo was working for them, I would guess so," Yusei answered.

"What do you think, Jayla?" Crow asked.

"I'm with, Yusei. Something about them doesn't feel right," I replied not turning to them.

Wing appeared and said, "I agree with them. There was something off about Primo and Lester. They're working together in some faction which I would guess would be Yliaster. And I have a bad feeling as to what they're planning on doing."

"Is it possible they're planning on destroying the world like all the other threats we've met thus far?" Jack asked.

"I'm not certain, but it has something to do with the world," Yusei answered. "Remember, Jayla had said what Primo told her about changing the future. I have a bad feeling that this future they want isn't going to be any better than what they believe."

"We'll beat them," Crow assured.

"We'll see…" I muttered worried. I then said louder and clearer, "This will probably be a harder fight than the Dark Signers. Considering they have Meklord Emperors that can take away your monsters and you have to worry about the Earthbound Immortals still, it won't be easy."

"We'll beat them, Jayla," Yusei reassured. "Don't worry about that." I gave a slow nod in response.

"Is something else wrong, Jayla?" Crow asked. I didn't reply.

"Jayla?" Yusei called. I looked down. "Jayla, talk to us. You can't keep staying locked up like this. It'll only make that dark energy more powerful."

"I…" I paused and Yusei placed a hand on my shoulder before gently turning me to him. I looked at him and I immediately gave in like I had expected I would. "I just have a bad feeling about something coming up. That's all."

"We'll overcome anything that tries to stop us, Jayla," Yusei told me. "You know we will."

"Yusei's right. We've done it before and we'll do it again," Crow told me.

"Right," Jack agreed. "Don't worry about any gut feeling. We'll beat whatever's coming at us."

"But what if it only gets worse?" I asked.

"We'll beat it and keep protecting people," Yusei told me. "Can you trust us to do that?"

I gave a slow, nervous nod. "Yes," I agreed.

"It'll be alright," he told me calmly.

"I know," I agreed.

"Let's get back to the garage," Jack suggested.

We nodded in acceptance. Yusei grabbed my hand and brought me back to his runner where I boarded behind him.

"Good to see you've been getting her to get on your runner. Would've thought she'd be afraid," Jack said as they left.

"Have I really only told Yusei I used to be a turbo duelist?" I asked and they went wide eyed. I then muttered, "Apparently I have…"

"She was a turbo duelist before she met me," Yusei chimed in. "Saw her runner too."

"Where is her runner then?" Crow asked.

"Still at Martha's," I answered.

"We should probably go get it from her tomorrow or something and see how good you are at turbo dueling," Crow suggested.

"Uh, okay," I agreed. We then focused back on getting to the garage. Myself preparing for a long day ahead.


	19. Words of the Immortals

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 19**

 **Words of the Immortals**

Jayla's POV

I slowly woke up the next morning in Yusei's protective hold. I looked up a bit to see he was asleep and I honestly didn't want to wake him up. He needed the rest, in my opinion. So, I allowed myself to just nudge a bit closer without waking him up and let him sleep. I closed my eyes in peace.

After about another hour, I felt him bring me in closer and tighter. I looked up at him just as his lips touched my forehead.

"Good morning to you, too, Yusei," I told him with a small grin and blush.

"Doing okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" I replied.

"You had a bad nightmare last night. Do you not remember it?" he told me. I shook my head, confused. "That's weird. You woke up from it and I had to calm you down. And you usually have a good memory with that sort of stuff."

"I don't remember anything happening last night," I responded looking down. "Are you sure it wasn't your own dream?"

"I'm positive," he answered sternly. "You know me, I wouldn't get my dreams mixed with reality like that."

"True," I agreed. "Did I say anything about my nightmare? Like what it was or something?"

"Not really. After I had calmed you down, you immediately fell back asleep, which also worries me," Yusei explained. He gently touched her chest close to over her heart. "I'm a bit worried that it has something to do with the Earthbound Immortals." I looked down just as worried with that information. "But I promise, Jayla, nothing will happen to you. Even if you get into trouble, I'll get you safe again."

"But that'll get you hurt, Yusei. And me being around you just risks you getting killed if the Earthbound Immortals take over," I responded getting a bit frustrated. "What if that nightmare was trying to warn me of something?"

"Jayla, I know you. And I promise, you won't get taken over again. We'll find a way to get the Earthbound Immortals out of you before that happens," Yusei responded, pulling my face up so my gaze met his. "I'll never let you get hurt if I can stop it. And I can't protect you if I'm not around. Don't worry about being around me. Nothing will happen as long as I'm right next to you." He brought out the scale again and place it between his hand and mine. "And our bond will protect you from that as well." I leaned against his chest. "I promise, Jayla, nothing will tear apart that bond."

"Thank you, Yusei," I responded.

"Come on, let's get up. Crow probably wants to get your runner and duel you. Do you still have your deck?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah," I answered and pulled it out of my pocket. "It's been awhile since I've dueled, but I should still be pretty good."

"I bet you are. Now come on, let's head out," he suggested.

I stood up while he followed me, sticking close. We each got dressed in our own day clothes and walked out into the living room, hand in hand. We noticed the other two Signers weren't up yet.

Wing was probably just sitting on the ceiling of Crow's room, watching from his upside down position. Jayla never understood why Wing like sitting on the ceiling at night, but he did. Then again, if he stayed still enough, he practically vanished from sight without even needing to use his power to disappear. It sometimes shocked the young woman.

"Jayla, want to work on the duel runner engine until they get up?" Yusei suggested.

"Sure," she answered.

Yusei let go of her hand and began to walk over to the computer followed by me. But just as I reached him, a sharp spike hit my mind with no warning. I gave out a cry and grabbed my head while losing all balance.

"Jayla!" Yusei exclaimed as grabbed me before I hit the ground, but his voice was muffled.

" _ **You have a job to do,"**_ came a dark voice in my head. _**"Kill him now!"**_

I whimpered, trying to hold back tears at the head splitting pain. I heard Yusei call to me, "Come on, Jayla. Listen to my voice." I could barely feel his hand grab mine. "I'm right here."

" _ **Kill him. He's right there like he said. He caused you such pain, didn't he? Don't you want him to feel such pain?"**_ the voice told me.

' _N-No… He already felt that pain when I died. He felt the same pain as me. I'm not going to kill him. I love him!'_ I replied in thought, having a feeling the voice would hear me. _'Who are you?'_

" _ **You know very well who I am,"**_ it answered vaguely. _**"Give into us and you'll be spared. Kill Yusei now!"**_

' _No… I… won't. I can't!'_ I refused as tears began to drip.

"Jayla, listen to my voice. I'm right here. Come on out of this. Come back to me," came Yusei's voice.

"Yusei, what's wrong with Jayla?" came Crow's voice.

"I'm not sure," I heard him answer.

Another hand touched my forehead before Wing's voice stated, "She's fighting the Earthbound Immortals' control. They're trying to do whatever they can to get her to give in to them."

"Can you bring her out of it?" Jack's voice asked.

"I can't," Wing answered. "I wish I could, but I can't back down the Earthbound Immortals' control when they're this close to Jayla's mind. If I were to try, I would cause more harm to Jayla than she's already in, even risk killing her."

"Yusei, can you do anything to bring her back?" Crow asked.

"I've been trying, but it's like she's trapped," he answered. "I'm not even sure if she can't hear me."

" _ **You're causing them all such pain. It is feeding our strength, you know? You like them feeling such worry for you, don't you? Be honest with yourself,"**_ the dark voice intercepted the voices outside my mind.

' _No, I don't. I don't want Yusei worrying about me, especially,'_ I retorted. _'I don't want him feeling any pain because of me. It isn't right! I wouldn't do that to someone I love like Yusei.'_

" _ **You're a stubborn one,"**_ the dark voice commented before the pain grew making me cry out again.

"Jayla!" came Yusei call of concern.

I barely managed to choke out, "Y...Y-Yusei… h-help… me…"

"She can hear you, Yusei," Wing told him.

" _ **You think he'll be able to help you! You'll be stuck here with this unbearable pain until you give in!"**_ the voice chimed in.

"Jayla, I'm right here," I heard Yusei tell me while feeling him grab my hand tighter. "You can beat the Earthbound Immortals. You've done it before. Don't give up on this fight, Jayla. I'm right here to help you. I'm right by your side."

That's when I felt a familiar presence that I hadn't sensed in too long of a time. A red light filled my vision of eternal darkness. I heard the Crimson Dragon call out, _"Earthbound Immortals, you lost the war! Let her go now!"_

" _ **She is ours, Crimson Dragon!"**_ it retorted, sounding with a lot more voices than before.

" _She is not yours to control! Leave now or I will come down to your hide away and destroy you like I did your king!"_ the Crimson Dragon threatened.

" _ **Fine, we'll back away. For now, at least,"**_ the Immortals agreed. _**"But this is not the end, Crimson Dragon. Jayla, be warned, this is only the beginning. You will be ours for life soon enough!"**_

I felt all of the gods energy leave me as the pain instantly stopped. "Jayla…" called Yusei's voice, but it was clear this time. I carefully opened my eyes, my eyes taking quite some time to focus on what was above me. "Jayla, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah," I answered. "I am now." I noticed Yusei's mark was beginning to dim after glowing. But I wasn't able to look for long before Yusei pulled me into him, close. I slowly returned the embrace. "Thank you, Yusei…"

"Of course, Jayla," he responded.

"I'm sorry about this," I whispered, making sure I was aiming it at everyone in the room.

"Jayla, it wasn't your fault," Crow responded.

"Crow's right. You don't have to be sorry about anything," Jack agreed.

I looked at Yusei who nodded at me while holding my face. "At least you're alright," he told me. "That's all that matters right now."

"They're not going to stop, Yusei," I told him fearfully. "They're not going to stop trying to control me."

"It won't happen, Jayla," he assured me. "None of us are going to allow that to happen. I promise." I gave a small nod, though I knew I looked as uncertain as I felt. "It'll be fine. I'm not going to break that promise again." I nodded again and leaned my head against his chest.

"We should let Jayla rest before we get her duel runner and have her turbo duel," Wing suggested. "She just had a lot of stress put on her body and especially her mind that needs to heal first."

"Right," Yusei agreed. He carefully helped me up and kept an arm around me. "I'll bring her back to our room for now."

"Watch her, Yusei. Let us know if anything happens again," Crow told him.

"I will," he answered and carefully walked me back to the room we shared. He lied me down on the bed and laid the covers over me. I looked at him, uncertain, while he gently pushed some hair out of my eyes. "Go ahead and get some sleep, Jayla. I'll be right here, okay?" I looked down a bit, worried me sleeping would give the Earthbound Immortals an advantage. I felt Yusei touch my forehead with a tender kiss, placing a hand on my cheek, before pulling away and looking at me with gentle and caring eyes. "Go ahead, Jayla. Nothing will happen to you while I'm here. I promise."

I sighed. "O-Okay," I agreed and closed my eyes. Yusei gently used the thumb of the hand he had on my cheek to caress my face lovingly and relaxingly. Slowly, I felt myself fall asleep.


	20. Truth of Fate

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 20**

 **Truth of Fate**

Third Person POV

It had been a few hours after the events between Jayla and the Earthbound Immortals, and she hadn't budged from the spot she fell asleep in. Yusei just watched her, growing concerned. The fact she hadn't moved at all didn't give him good feelings, but he could at least see her chest faintly moving up and down. Yusei carefully placed a hand on her cheek without waking her and caressed it lightly.

Crow walked up and asked, "She moved at all, yet?" Yusei shook his head, only looking at Jayla. "Any idea what's wrong?"

"No," Yusei answered. "She's never slept so deeply where she doesn't move at all like this. It really worries me."

"She hasn't been in an ordeal this bad before, though. And we don't know how much of a beating her mind took from the Earthbound Immortals," Crow tried to reason.

"I guess that's true," the Head Signer agreed.

"I think you can leave her for a bit," Crow told him.

"I promised Jayla I would stay here until she woke up," Yusei retorted. "At the moment, I'd rather not break that promise. Besides, if something happens, I don't want to not be here to help."

"I guess I can see that," Crow responded defeatedly. _'He truly loves her. I'm not sure what would happen if she died again. He may have hid it, but I know Yusei was tormented and is tormented about the fact she died that day. I don't know the full story on his side, but if Jayla died again…'_ he thought. He sighed. "Well, I have to go make a delivery. I'll see ya later."

"See ya, Crow," Yusei responded and the bird named man walked out. He turned his attention back to Jayla who began to cringe a bit, and he couldn't tell whether it was from a nightmare or trying to wake up. As soon as her cringing got worse, he knew it was a bad nightmare. "Jayla!" he called, though he kept it a bit quiet so he wouldn't alarm his friends. "Jayla, wake up!" She just cringed more. He began to shake her lightly, calling, "Jayla, come on! Wake up!" Her eyes snapped open showing pure fear and paused before looking at Yusei. He immediately brought her into a hug.

Jayla returned it while asking, "Are you alright, Yusei?"

"Worried, but fine," he answered. "Are you alright? You seemed to be having a really bad nightmare for a bit there."

"I-I'm fine," she replied.

"Do you remember what it was about this time?" Yusei asked.

"You… dead," she replied quietly and fearfully.

"Again?" Yusei asked concerned. She nodded. "What happened in this one?"

"It was so realistic, Yusei," she replied beginning to seem like she was getting more and more frightened. "I saw a similar situation as before. But this time there were slash marks in your chest… And I had blood on my hands… And…"

"Jayla, first of all, that will _never_ happen. I promised you that already. Secondly, if you were holding me, the blood on your hands might've been from that. Not that you killed me. And thirdly and most probable, it was probably just the Earthbound Immortals trying to scare you even more, make you weaker," Yusei reasoned. He turned her face to his and wiped away a couple of fear filled tears. "I promise you, Jayla, that will never happen. I'll make sure of it. And I'm not breaking any more promises I give to you, anymore."

Jayla laid her head against his chest. "Okay," she agreed, sounding weak and quiet. "Okay…"

"Good," Yusei responded placing a hand against her head. "I'm right here, Jayla. I won't leave you."

"But… what about during the World Racing Grand Prix? I can't ride with you during your duels," she retorted.

Yusei sighed. "I'm the last to duel in the tournament. Until it's my turn, I won't be leaving your side. And every time Stardust Dragon is on the field, you'll be right next to me as always," he replied. "And until then, I won't be too far away from you. You'll be in the booth and I'll be around the track."

"I understand," Jayla agreed. She gripped his shirt tight and Yusei stroked her hair to relax and comfort her.

"It'll be okay, Jayla," he whispered.

Jayla took a deep breath. "I… I know. Thank you, Yusei," she responded. He responded by lightly kissing the top of her head.

"Do you still want to go to Martha's to get your duel runner today and give one of us a turbo duel? Or do you want to relax for the rest of the day?" Yusei asked her.

"Whatever you guys think is best," she replied.

"I honestly want to have you relax a bit more. After the Earthbound Immortals attack and that nightmare, you need it. Besides," Yusei looked towards the sun and she followed seeing it was getting close to when it was supposed to start its final descent for the day, "it's getting late."

"How long was I asleep?" Jayla asked.

"A few hours," he answered.

"Yeah, and Yusei refused to leave your side even for a bit," Jack commented walking in followed by Crow. Wing stayed back out of respect for Crow, but stayed close.

"Sorry about this," Jayla told them.

"It's not your fault, Jayla," Crow responded. "After that attack, it probably would've left some damage on your mind. We all knew you needed the rest after that." Jayla gave a small nod of thanks.

"Feel better now at least, Jayla?" Wing asked.

"Yeah," she answered.

Wing looked at the three Signers. "I need to speak to Jayla alone for a moment," he told them. That shocked and confused all of them, and Yusei was obviously reluctant to leave Jayla's side at the moment. "Don't worry, Yusei. I wouldn't try to kill her like Rose would."

"Do I want to know what he meant about Rose?" Crow asked.

"I'll explain to you what I know outside," Yusei replied standing up. He nodded at Jayla who nodded back before leaving with the other two Signers.

"Something wrong, Wing?" Jayla asked if he sat next to her.

"It wasn't Jack's fault that Arch died," Wing began.

"I know. It was the Syd's," Jayla responded.

"No, it was due to a choice that the Crimson Dragon made," Wing corrected. Jayla gave him a confused face. "I've been looking into it with Ancient. Neither of us truly like Rose, with the unpredicted attitude she has; So, we kept her out of this, especially since what we concluded wouldn't make her happy."

"What… did you end up with as the answer for Arch's death?" Jayla asked.

"You remember how you and Arch's destinies were intertwined?" Wing replied and Jayla nodded looking down a bit. "Well, when you chose Yusei instead of Arch, that offset the set fate for the two of you. Every Dragon Protector felt the wave when you made the final choice to go with Yusei. As such, without the Crimson Dragon's consent, another deity, the goddess of fate, had to figure out what to do. So, as suggested by her advisors, she decided to make it where in order for one of you to live, the other had to die. Only way to reverse it is for you and Arch to fall in love again instead of you and Yusei."

Jayla went wide eyed in shock as she realized where he was aiming at. "Are you saying since I died, Arch would've lived forever; but since the Crimson Dragon brought me back, Arch…"

"Had to die in your place," Wing finished. "And if the Crimson Dragon brings him back, the same thing will happen to you unless you willingly decide to fall in love and stay with Arch forever."

Jayla put her face in her hands in stress, trying to not cry again. "So, it's my fault Arch died," she muttered.

"No, it's the goddess of fate's choice that killed Arch," Wing replied. "If not for that, Arch would still be alive, even with you here."

"Did the Crimson Dragon know?" Jayla asked, not picking her head out of her hands.

"No, she didn't," Wing answered. "Not until it was too late."

"That's why all my past lives were either male attached to a male Signer or female attached to a female Signer," Jayla realized, finally looking out in space.

"Well, partially. There hasn't been a chance before for two Dragon Protectors to have a intertwined destiny like you and Arch. Some of my past lives have fallen in love with their Signers, and they were the same gender," Wing responded. "But you and Arch are the first Dragon Protectors to be bound to each other by the fate goddess. I don't understand why her advisors told her to make that choice, or why she kept it from the Crimson Dragon until it was too late. But we can't change it now. And the Crimson Dragon won't bring Arch back like she did with you."

"Why?" Jayla asked.

"The only reason she brought you back is because of the pain Yusei, her Signer, was in due to your death. She figured by bringing you back, that pain would be released to some extent," Wing explained.

"How do you know this and I don't?" Jayla asked tense.

Wing sighed. "The Crimson Dragon told Ancient and I this one night. She told us not to tell you, but I couldn't keep it a secret any longer. Both Ancient and I agreed that you deserved the know the truth," he explained. "Jayla, I need you to promise me something." She looked at him with determination to keep the promise in her eyes. "No matter what happens, despite the fact you know the truth now, don't try to hurt or kill yourself. Arch wouldn't want that and you would just hurt Yusei even more than before. Promise me that."

"I promise," Jayla agreed.

"Do you promise with every ounce of your power?" Wing asked.

"Yes," Jayla answered.

"Good," he responded. "Now, we should probably get back to Yusei and Crow before they begin to worry. And try to act like you don't know about this. I don't think it would be good for them to know the truth, especially Jack."

"Right," Jayla agreed and they stood up and walked out.

 **Hey, guys! That's it for this chapter! I promise, next chapter, you'll get the duel you've been waiting for!**

 **-bricann**


	21. Revealing

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 21**

 **Revealing**

Yusei's POV

Crow and my other two Signer friends had decided to give Jayla a day to recuperate. She had obviously taken a beating from the Earthbound Immortals and I had decided to refrain from telling Jack and Crow about Jayla's nightmare.

But when Jayla came back from our room seeming a bit out of it and distressed, I tried to get her to talk. But she wouldn't tell me anything of what happened with Wing; and Wing wouldn't say anything, even at Crow's order. It really concerned me that Jayla was keeping this all a secret, but I knew when the time would be right and would ask her again.

Right now, it was the next day and Jayla was behind me with Crow, Wing, and Jack beside us. We were on our way to Martha's where Jayla would grab her duel runner; and Crow insisted on having a turbo duel with her, saying he wanted to test her turbo dueling capability.

"So, Jayla, what type of deck did you duel with?" Jack asked.

"A light attributed, dragon type deck. I've always had the same deck since I first made it," she replied. She looked at the deck holster which held her deck in it. "Still have it actually."

"That'll be interesting to see," Crow commented. "I know people use dragon type decks; but light attributed dragon types alone? Never heard of that."

"Guess it might've come from the fact that I am - or was - a dragon protector made from a dragon god of light and peace," Jayla responded.

"I probably did affect the type of deck you leaned towards," I responded with a grin. _'I never asked Jayla what she meant exactly when it came to being_ made _from a god of light and peace,'_ I thought. "Jayla, how exactly were you _made_ from the Crimson Dragon?"

"That's a good question," Jack followed.

Wing appeared as he was invisible before and began, "It means we weren't born like everyday humans." The three of us, Signers, raised a confused eyebrow.

"We are created during the day, when the sun is shining at its brightest," Jayla continued making us turn to her. "The Crimson Dragon uses her power to hone the light into one being, or more depending. Those beings are the Dragon Protectors." We went a bit wide eyed. "We are made from the Crimson Dragon's power and the sunlight itself."

"So, you live on light basically?" Crow asked.

"Kind of," Jayla replied.

"As Primo discovered, we have no particular organs and our blood is completely different from humans. We do have, however, a stone that acts like our heart where a human's heart is," Wing continued making us go completely wide eyed in shock. "It is our life source and is the source and storage of our powers and abilities. If it was even damaged, we would die. If it was removed, well, it is like our heart."

"And didn't Jayla say when that Primo kidnapped her that he wanted to take her 'heart' so he could figure out how to harness her power?" Crow commented.

"She did," Jack answered.

I felt Jayla's hands grip tighter since they were around my waist and carefully place a hand on them, squeezing them lightly. She looked at me while I gave her a calming face to try to silently remind her that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. She gave a small nod.

We turned as we came up on Martha's house. My foster mother walked out and greeted us, "Came here for Jayla's runner finally?"

"Yep," I answered.

"Good. I was beginning to have trouble keeping the kids off of it," Martha responded with a joking grin.

"Thanks for looking after it, Martha," Jayla told her.

"It's my pleasure. After all, you are Zora's little orphan," she responded before walking off to get it. The other three men and I turned to Jayla as she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

" _Zora_ is the one who looked after you?!" Crow exclaimed.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Why have you avoided seeing her then?" Wing asked.

"I haven't avoided it," Jayla replied. "I've been stuck at Yusei's side and Zora's not around most of the time I'm with him. Besides, a couple years after I left, Zora found her way to New Domino. It would be a bit awkward to see each other after so long."

"I'm not sure it would be so awkward. I'm sure Zora would have been happy to see you again after so long. I bet she's been wondering of how you've been," I told her. Jayla shrugged. "My question is, why haven't you told any of us this?"

"You're the only one with good… relations to her," Jayla replied. "But I wasn't sure how _any_ of you would've reacted to it? Besides, it wasn't that important."

"Knowing even part of your life before Yusei is important in my book," Jack retorted.

"Sorry," Jayla responded. She turned as Blister came up with her duel runner. "Kept it as you left it. Perfect condition too."

"Thanks," Jayla responded. "I really owe you and Martha one."

"Ah, you sacrificed yourself to protect Yusei. I'm pretty sure you won't ever owe anyone anything," Blister responded. I tensed a bit when my old friend mentioned Jayla's death. I still hated hearing about. It was a constant reminder in my mind that I broke my promise to Jayla, and it gave her the ultimate punishment as a result.

I watched as Jayla kneeled down and checked over her duel runner's parameters for a quick second, making sure everything was in order. I kneeled next to her and asked, "You still wanting to check it over?"

"Wouldn't you?" Jayla replied not looking at me. I just shrugged a bit. After a minute, Jayla stood up and said, "It's good to go."

"Sweet, let's get this duel on the road!" Crow exclaimed excitedly.

Jayla nodded. She turned back to Blister. "Thanks again, Blister. And spread the word to Martha, too," she told him.

"Will do, Jayla. Take care of it," he responded before walking off.

Jayla boarded her runner for the first time in so long. She could instantly tell she still had her skill in it.

"Let's get to the highway, so you two can duel it out," I suggested.

We all nodded and took off. As we drove, Jayla being completely seamless, Crow asked, "Jayla, you haven't driven that runner is months. How are you still that good at driving it?"

"Riding a duel runner is a skill you never lose, Crow," I answered for her.

Crow shrugged. When they finally made it to the highway, the bird named man stated, "Let's get this started!" They each quickly slipped their disks into the spot while initiated Speed World 2. The road became a duel lane and Jack and I made their way to the lane where they would watch. "First one around the next corner gets the first draw."

"You'll regret making that bet, Crow," Jayla replied.

"We'll see," Crow responded. "Let's go!"

They took off like a speeding bullet. But as they approached the turn, Jayla seemed to speed up to ridiculous levels and passed Crow in an instant and making it around the turn. He went wide eyed in shock. "Told you you'd regret it," Jayla called to him. "That beginning was me only using half the speed my duel runner can take." She drew her card. "I summon Elenon- Dragon of Golden Fire (Attack 1900/ Defense 2000) in defense mode!" she declared. A dragon shaped being made of actual golden flew onto the field before switching to defense mode. "I then set a face down and end my turn."

"I summon Blackwing- Bora the Spear (Attack 1700/ Defense 800) in attack mode. Now since I control a Blackwing monster on my side of the field, I can special summon another feathered friend from my hand: Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind (Attack 1300/ Defense 400) in attack mode!" Crow called. "Then I tune my two monsters together. Rise and fight, Blackwing Armor Master (Attack 2500/ Defense 1500)!" His mighty monster rose up and prepared to fight.

"Nice try, Crow," Jayla responded shocking him. "I activate Elenon's special ability. Once per turn during _your_ main phase and the turn you summon a monster with 2000 or higher attack, I can discard one card and destroy the monster summoned." She sent a card to the graveyard and Blackwing Armor Master was destroyed.

"Smart play. Guess you really learned me from what me duel with Yusei," Crow told her. "I set two face downs and end my turn."

Jayla drew her card. "I activate the continuous spell, Dragon of the Sun's Gift," she declared. "With this card which I can only activate when I have zero cards in my graveyard when this card in activated, I can special summon one synchro monster and this card gains two counters. Every time my synchro monster attacks, it loses one counter. But if my opponent activates a trap card during the battle phase my monster attacked, it gains a counter."

"So that means if Crow activates any trap cards to defend against Jayla's attacks, it'll only add to the counters she has to keep her monster able to attack," I calculated.

"And she still has that Elenon," Jack commented.

"With that in play, I summon a dragon with a heart pure of light and void of any darkness. Rise and shine your beautiful light, Luminescence Dragon (Attack 2900/ Defense 2000)!" Jayla called.

A bright light shone for a moment making all of them but Jayla cover their eyes from it. When it grew dimmer, all of them watched as it started as the shape of a European styled dragon. With a small flash of light, the light around it shattered with the light delicately falling off revealing a glowing dragon with a shimmering white scale body. It had a flowing mane and tail tip of light. All of us, except Jayla, were looking at it in pure awe. There was no telling what exact powers this dragon had. It was staring at Jayla with caring and understanding eyes.

' _She really is connected to her cards,'_ I thought. _'Even though she hasn't used them in so long, they still care for her.'_

"Nice dragon," Crow complimented. "Too bad it won't win you the duel."

"We'll see, Crow," Jayla responded still seeming confident. "I activate another spell card, Blinding Energy!"

"What's that do?" Crow asked.

"By paying 500 life points, I can activate this continuous spell card," Jayla began as her life points fell to 3500. "This spell card prevents you from activating any trap cards as long as this card is on the field. The catch is at every standby phase of my coming turns, I must pay another 500 to keep it on the field. If I choose not to, Blinding Energy is destroyed."

"Why would Jayla do that if it stops her other card from gaining counters that allows her dragon to attack?" Jack wondered.

"Jayla has a plan," I told him. "I can see it in her eyes."

"Luminescence Dragon, attack Crow directly!" my girlfriend ordered. The attack was sent and hit Crow, dropping his life points to 1100. "I set another face down. That ends my turn."

Crow drew his card, obviously getting tense. "I summon Blackwing- Shura the Blue Flame (Attack 1800/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Then I special summon another Gale the Whirlwind in attack mode. Now I activate Gale the Whirlwind's effect. With it, I can target one of your monsters and halve its attack and defense. And I'm halving your Luminescence Dragon (Luminescence Dragon: Attack 1450/ Defense 1000)!" he declared. "Now, Shura, attack that Luminescence Dragon! Destroy it to bits!"

"I activate Light's Guardian!" Jayla defended and the card got in the way, repelling Shura. "This card negates an attack being thrown at any light attributed monster and ends the battle phase."

"Nice defense there, Jayla. But it won't stop me from winning," Crow responded.

"Are you so sure, Crow?" she retorted confidently and he gave her a shocked face. "I activate Light on the Tomb! When I end the battle phase through card effect and you didn't activate any spell or trap cards this turn, I can deal you damage equal to the combined attack points of each monster I control."

"What?!" Crow exclaimed in shock.

"Elenon, Luminescence! Deliver Crow that final blow!" Jayla ordered. The attack was sent and hit, catapulting Crow's life points to zero. They pulled to a stop and Jack and I drove up as Jayla told my friend, "Nice duel, Crow."

"Thanks," Crow responded. "I didn't realize you turbo dueled so well. I guess I wasn't prepared for that hard of an opponent."

"Can't judge a girl by her looks," Jayla responded making me grin.

"Let's get back to the garage for now," I suggested. The others nodded and we took off.


	22. The Danger in the Truth

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 22**

 **The Danger in the Truth**

Third Person POV

Jayla drove beside Yusei as he sped up his duel runner. She looked at him a bit concerned as he seemed a bit stressed still. In a split second, she heard his thoughts as he told him, _'This kind of speed is no good! I need a new engine that can surpass the limits no matter what.'_

"You'll be fine, Yusei," his girlfriend called to him. He looked at her shocked. "You'll get your accel synchro. Once you have that, the Meklord Emperors will be pretty much no problem at all."

"How do you know that?" Yusei asked. "Yeah, I think accel synchro is a key factor in beating those creatures; but making them no problem at all? I'm not so sure."

"Ancient, Wing, and I have been talking about it. Ancient has even looked into it a bit," Jayla explained.

"What about Rose?" Yusei asked.

"Rose doesn't like me being involved in any of this. She's been wanting me out of it. Wing and Ancient were getting extremely annoyed with it, saying I was as much a part of it as her. She decided to leave it to just us after," Jayla explained.

"Does she really hate you that much?" Yusei asked.

"It's not that she 'hates' me," Jayla replied. "After you helped Akiza, she was trusting me a bit more than before. Now that the Earthbound Immortals are… in me, she basically lost all trust in me acting like I've always been controlled."

"Can't Akiza talk to her?" Yusei asked. "You even said this is causing in-fighting between all of you. Do Luna, Akiza, and Crow even know about this?"

Jayla shook her head. "This is between Dragon Protectors, or former Dragon Protector in my case. We shouldn't get you guys involved. I wasn't even supposed to tell you about our arguments," she explained. "So, please, try to leave the others out of this."

"Jayla, they deserve to know," Yusei responded. "Rose, Wing, and Ancient are literally attached to Akiza, Crow, and Luna."

"Yusei, I would tell them if I felt it was right thing to do," Jayla responded. "If I told Akiza and the others about this fighting between the three of us and Rose, I would just begin to lose the trust of all the Dragon Protectors. Please, Yusei, keep this between us."

Yusei looked down. The last thing he, and especially Jayla, needed were the Dragon Protectors starting to distrust Jayla. He sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'll keep this between us. Is there any other reason as to why Rose hates you so much? It can't be just because of the Earthbound Immortals," he responded.

"She… blames me for what happened to Arch," Jayla answered vaguely.

"Did she love Arch?" Yusei asked.

"No," the former Dragon Protector answered. "No, she didn't. She just blames me because I went against my destiny to be with Arch and went with you instead. She's mad about it and says it's because of that decision that Arch died."

"Why, though? Syd killed Arch, not you. You weren't even there!" Yusei retorted.

"I promised Wing I wouldn't say anything," Jayla replied. "This gets too personal."

"Jayla, you know you can tell me anything. Why does he want to keep it a secret?" Yusei asked.

"He doesn't want even a remote chance of Jack finding out," Jayla replied. "He feels Jack might hurt me if he does."

Yusei immediately pulled in front of Jayla making her stop. "Jayla, spill it now. Why would Jack hurt you if he found out whatever this is?" he asked sternly, showing no remorse in letting this go.

"Yusei…" Jayla trailed off and looked down.

"Jayla, tell me right now," he ordered. "If it's that bad, I need to know. I won't tell Jack, I promise. Just talk to me here."

Jayla sighed. "It's my fault Arch died," she answered. Yusei opened his mouth to retort, but she beat him to it, "Not directly, but Rose was right. My choice to go with you resulted in Arch's death." Yusei looked at her uncertain and shocked.

"Why would you say that, Jayla?" Yusei asked sternly.

Jayla sighed in defeat and pure sadness. "When Wing wanted to talk to me alone, he told me everything. He heard it from the Crimson Dragon along with the others. Arch and I were destined to be together, chosen by the goddess of fate. It was the first to ever happen. When I chose to go with you, the temperance of fate shifted and went out of balance a bit. At her advisor's suggestion, the goddess of fate made a decision of how to fix it." She looked down a bit and Yusei was worried by it. "If Arch was to live forever, I had to die. If I was to live forever, Arch had to die in my place." Yusei went wide eyed in shock. "I wasn't supposed to be brought back, Yusei. The Crimson Dragon only did it because she hated seeing one of her Signers in the pain you were in. I had thought giving you my scale would've helped relieve at least some of that pain, but it didn't help much. The Crimson Dragon wasn't warned of the decision before it was too late. And because I was brought back for you, Arch died." A tear fell down her face.

"Jayla, it's that goddess' fault for listening to her advisors and making that choice. It isn't your fault. If she had chosen a different option, both you and Arch would still be alive and be able to live at the same time. And it's that goddess' fault for not telling the Crimson Dragon," Yusei retorted. I looked at him shocked. "Don't get me wrong, Jayla. I love you and I'm more than relieved and happy to have you at my side again. I can't think of a life without you where I'd be happy. Jayla, I couldn't love anyone else but you. But don't beat yourself up over Arch's death. No matter what others think, it wasn't your fault at all. Do you understand?" I looked down again. "Jayla, listen to my words: It isn't your fault. Trust me on that, please."

"Alright," Jayla agreed looking up.

"Good," Yusei responded. "Now come on, we need to get back." Jayla nodded and they turned and left. As they drove, Yusei asked, "So on another note, what else can you tell me about that accel synchro?"

"Not a lot. We haven't seen anything like it," Jayla replied. "What we do know so far, though, is that you need a clear mind to achieve it."

"A clear mind?" Yusei questioned.

"Think about it, Yusei," Jayla replied. "The duel runner engine is connected to the mind and heart of the rider. Just as your duel monsters are connected to you. By having a clear mind, it allows so many things to be possible that you wouldn't expect. If we're right, to achieve accel synchro, it wouldn't matter the speed of your duel runner. As long as you had a clear mind, you would be able to achieve it."

"Do you really believe that?" Yusei asked.

Jayla looked at him calmly, and right in his eyes. "I do, Yusei," she answered. "We can try it later on."

"Right," he agreed. "Maybe in the next few days or something."

"Maybe," she agreed.


	23. One Complete, One to Come

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 23**

 **One Complete, One to Come**

Jayla's POV

Later that night, Trudge and Mina sat across from Yusei, Jack, Crow, and I in a fancy restaurant. As soon as we got the food, me just settling with water, Crow dug in.

"Thanks. I don't know what this is about but…" Crow stopped mid-sentence and noticed Jack, Yusei, and I weren't eating. Wing was hovering in the air invisible, and I could tell even he was uncertain of what was happening. "Come on, guys, eat."

Jack folded his arms as he said, "This is strange."

Mina and Trudge coughed a bit and Mina asked, stuttering a bit, "W-What is it?"

"Martha always told me, 'Nothing in this world is free. Be thankful to those who speak strict words to you. Watch out for a person who talks to nicely'," Yusei replied.

"It's just as Yusei says. You wouldn't treat us like this for no reason," Jack agreed.

Trudge and Mina obviously were getting nervous. "W-What is it?" Trudge stuttered like Mina.

"So there's no strings attached?" Jack asked.

Trudge hesitantly replied, "Truth is, we have a small favor to ask you."

"I knew it," Jack responded.

"It's nothing too difficult. We found a person with memory loss. We were wondering if you could take care of him," Mina told them.

"Why should we do something like that?" Yusei asked. I knew he was right, I would've even asked that. Trudge and Mina could've found someone else to take care of the guy. There was no true reason to ask them as far as I could tell.

"Right now, New Domino City is busy with the tourists and turbo duelists. It's okay if just for a little while," Mina replied.

"Our garage isn't a hotel," Jack retorted.

"Besides, we can't take care of anyone right now anyways," Crow added still eating.

"Come on, Yusei," Trudge begged.

"Sorry, but we can't," Yusei responded.

"Jack, please," Mina begged.

"No," Jack refused bluntly.

"Can't you do something?" Trudge continued to Crow.

"Sorry, but we really can't," Crow intervened.

They looked at me. "Guys, I just stay there because Yusei wants me to. It's their place, though, so I have no right to make a decision for them," I told them.

"You're being treated to something like this and you plan to refuse?" Trudge asked mad.

"Where is he right now?" Crow asked.

"He should have been here a long time ago," Trudge remarked.

"If he doesn't come, we can't do anything," Crow told them.

Later, we walked back into the garage. As we walked, Crow said, "That was close. We were about to take in a stranger."

"That's because you ate all that food without paying attention to the details," Jack remarked.

"That's because I never know when I'll eat food like that again!" Crow retorted while Yusei and I sighed.

That's when Yusei and I noticed someone working on Jack's runner. Jack and Crow then noticed as well.

"What're you doing to my runner?!" Jack asked angry. "Are you one of those duel runner thieves?" He then punched the man in the face so hard, the man flew to the ground. "Don't ever come near my duel runner again! Be glad I'm only doing this to you!" He then drove off.

I helped the person up while Yusei asked him, "Are you okay?"

"Guys, we should just leave that guy alone," Crow told us.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I responded. I sensed a lot of light in the man and looked at Yusei who nodded in agreement. He knew something was fine about this man as well.

Trudge and Mina ran over. "What happened?" Trudge asked.

"It wasn't Jack's fault," Crow replied and pointed over to the man next to Yusei and I. "It's because this guy messed with Jack's duel runner."

"Bruno!" Mina called at the man. "Why are you in a place like this?"

Bruno got on his knees and apologized, "Sorry. I thought his duel runner was amazing and I got sucked up into it."

"Is this the person you wanted us to look after?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah," Mina answered.

"What should we do?" Crow asked Yusei.

"Even if I asked him to…" Yusei was cut off by Jack coming in.

Jack grabbed Bruno and said, "I'll return him later." He then rode off again.

"What's going on?" Crow wondered.

"Let's go," Yusei said and turned to Mina and Trudge as I boarded my own duel runner with Crow. "Let us handle the rest."

We found Bruno being thrown to the ground. "Please stop," Bruno begged. "I hate violence." I hurried off my runner and grabbed Jack's arm to hold him back.

"Jack, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Crow asked the Signer.

Jack ignored him and asked Bruno, "What did you do to my runner?"

"What're you talking about?" Yusei wondered.

"My duel runner's power has increased," Jack answered visibly surprising Yusei and I.

"All I did was adjust the computer in your runner a bit," Bruno told Yusei.

"Yusei tried to increase the power of our duel runners so much," Crow stated. "And you did all of that in that short amount of time."

"That's the only thing I can think of," Jack added.

I followed Yusei as he walked up to Bruno and placed his hands on Bruno's shoulders, kindly asking him, "How did you do it?"

Bruno got up and went to a computer with Jack's runner on it. "I changed the timing of the boosters so it can power up slightly," he informed.

"I hadn't noticed it before," I said and Yusei nodded in agreement.

"What're they talking about?" Crow asked.

"I have no idea," Jack replied. "Don't let your guard down. I can't think of him as being an ally." I looked at Jack and Crow making them turn back to us.

" _Wing, tell them he isn't that bad. He actually has a lot of light in him. I know you sense it, too,"_ I told him mentally and he nodded. The Dragon Protector passed on the word staying invisible and they looked in his direction shocked. I nodded at thanks to Wing who nodded back before I returned my attention to Bruno explaining.

"This is also applied to Crow and your duel runners," he told Yusei. "If I tweak the program, the power should be greater than now."

"Really?" Crow asked.

"Crow, are you listening to what he's saying?" Jack asked.

Bruno turned to Crow. "I'll adjust it right away," he told the bird named man. Crow became thrilled about it while Jack face-palmed.

"Is your name…?" Yusei asked but Bruno finished.

"Yeah, my name is Bruno," he answered. "You're Yusei, Crow, Jayla, and Jack, right?" We nodded.

"With your skills, I want you to look at this. It's not moving so well," Yusei said and brought him over to his duel runner's computer.

"This is the Ener-D engine using your project," Bruno responded.

"Does it still rotate?" Crow asked.

"It doesn't yet," Yusei replied.

"It's just using a program right now. But it's better for you to use it," Bruno added. "The Ener-D in a duel runner engine gets worn down as it is used."

"But you can use the program to improve the speed, right?" I asked.

"Right," he answered.

"Isn't that what the new engine was for?" Jack asked. "Are you making a mistake?"

"Can you stay quiet for a while? We're talking about something important right now," Yusei told Jack. I was too caught up into what they were talking about to correct Yusei's actions. I needed to learn this too.

But I did hear Jack ask, "Are you serious?" We ignored him and continued to talk to Bruno. I did hear Wing laugh quietly, though, making Jack glare in his direction. Crow merely shrugged it off, though I was paying too much attention with Yusei on Bruno's words to mind anything of what was going on behind me.

. . .

The next day, I sat with Bruno and Yusei as they talked about some programming information.

"Thanks for the help, Bruno," I told him.

"Yeah," Yusei agreed. "Your suggestions have been helpful."

"Your basics for it were solid. As I would've expected for Professor Fudo's son," Bruno responded.

"Did you know my father?" Yusei asked.

Bruno didn't answer the question. "Professor Fudo's Ener-D is in all the duel runner engines. Any duel runner mechanic would know. Does your name come from the Yusei Gear?" he asked.

"I think so," Yusei replied.

"Huh. It's an interesting name. The 'Yusei Gear' is an interesting name," Bruno responded.

"I can agree on that," I chimed in making the two men look at me. "One gear won't do anything. The central gear uses the surrounded gears to rotate."

Bruno nodded. "If we were just using parts of the duel runner, what's the central gear that moves them?" he asked.

"It's the duel monsters that are with us in turbo duels. Above that, I have bonds with Jack, Crow, and Jayla," Yusei replied and I nodded as he subtly intertwined his fingers with mine.

"It sounds wonderful," Bruno commented.

"Mina told us you lost your memories," Yusei mentioned.

"When I realized it, I was washed up on the beach," Bruno answered.

"Were you in some sort of accident?" Yusei asked.

"I don't remember it at all," he replied. "And when I work on duel runner and duel, it feels like I can remember something."

"I understand how you feel a bit," I told him. "It's complicated as to why, but I've been slowly losing my memories." Bruno went wide eyed in shock.

"How far on you on that, Jayla?" Yusei asked.

"My younger years have been taking the worst hit. But it's been getting higher. It won't be too long before they're all gone," she answered.

"We'll stop it, Jayla," Yusei told her, holding her hand a bit tighter. "I promise."

"Thanks," she responded.

"How is she losing her memories?" Bruno asked.

"We're not entirely sure, but we think it's from a darkness we faced several months ago," Yusei explained. "The darkness took shelter inside her and has been trying to gain control of her. She's been fighting it for a while now. I think they've been trying to erase her memories so none of us can stop her from being controlled or break her out of it if she gets controlled. We're trying to find ways to save her memory, though. A couple other friends of ours have been trying to help get that darkness out of her. But it's too strong for them."

"I see," Bruno responded.

"Anyway, let's focus on the program," I cut in, hating talking about this subject. Yusei and Bruno nodded in agreement.

We worked for a bit longer before Yusei asked, "Hey, Bruno, could you stay a while?"

"Is that okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. For the WRGP, we need a new machine," Yusei answered.

"If that's okay with you, I'll become part of the gear that reaches towards your dreams," Bruno agreed.

"Thanks," Yusei responded and they grabbed hands while I grinned.


	24. A Clown Who Steals

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 24**

 **A Clown Who Steals**

Third Person POV

A while later, Jack and Crow were sitting around, with annoyed and bored expressions and their faces. Leo and Luna then came into the room and Leo asked, "Yusei, can you come play?"

"Leo just found a new combo," Luna added.

Seconds later, Akiza came in. "Yusei, I have a problem with my physics," she said.

Crow shush them. They began to talk about Bruno a bit and Jayla sighed before turning to Akiza. "I can help you with your physics, Akiza," she told her.

"Thanks, Jayla," she stated and Jayla walked to help her. Jayla did catch Rose glaring at her warningly, but she merely ignored it.

Eventually, though, Jayla returned and helped Bruno and Yusei as they typed on the keyboard until they finished the program.

"We did it," Bruno said. "This program is a miracle."

"Yeah," the only girl in the area agreed followed by Yusei.

"Can I take a quick rest since I haven't had a rest for two days?" Bruno asked.

"Yeah, I haven't either," Yusei responded.

"We'll install the program into the machine tomorrow," I suggested. They nodded and Bruno went to bed.

"Why don't we head to bed?" Yusei suggested to Jayla. She nodded and they headed off.

. . .

The next day, Yusei and the others awoke up to find the program the three mechanics had made gone. Both Jayla and Wing had a bad feeling about it, but didn't mention it for the moment.

"The data was stolen?!" Jack exclaimed angry as he, Jayla, and Bruno informed the other two.

"I was careless," Yusei admitted. "I should have kept a backup."

"It's all our fault. All three of us were careless," Bruno stated. "Right now, there's nothing we can do about it."

Jack grabbed Bruno and asked him, "Were you the one who stole it? I thought you were suspicious from the start."

"You're wrong. It wasn't me," Bruno replied.

"Let Bruno go," Jayla told Jack.

"Don't stop me! I'll get everything out of Bruno," Jack retorted.

"Jack, stop it already," Crow ordered, walking over.

"Why are you trying to protect him?" Jack asked.

"There's nothing to protect. If Bruno did it, then he would have ran away after stealing the data," Crow reasoned. "What kind of thief would stick around after stealing something?"

"Whatever," Jack gave in and let Bruno go.

"Creating a program needs a lot of work. It's complicated," Bruno said. He folded his arms, adding, "It's near impossible to create the program Yusei, Jayla, and I made."

"The only way is to find the thief, then," Jack said.

Crow blew over the computer keyboard and said, "The guy didn't leave behind any evidence. I can't even find a fingerprint."

"Without any evidence, how can we find the thief?" Jack wondered.

Wing appeared shocking Bruno. "Are you forgetting that I have more powers than Jayla since I'm a full Dragon Protector?" he asked.

"What're you talking about?" Crow asked.

"Dragon Protectors can see into the past and future by focusing hard enough. The future tends to be more fuzzy and unclear, though," Jayla explained. "I used to be able to, though I didn't use the ability at all. I can't anymore, though, since I'm not a Dragon Protector."

"Dragon Protector?" Bruno questioned.

"My name is Wing and long story," the Dragon Protector replied.

"Go ahead do your ability, Wing," Crow told him. Wing nodded. He sat on the ground in a meditation position, closing his eyes. He began to float up a bit. "Wing?"

"Crow, don't break his concentration. Seeing into the past is difficult," Jayla told him. "One break before he brings himself out of it and his mind could literally shut down on itself."

"Uh, that would've been nice to know," Crow responded tense. "Why didn't you mention this?"

"Wing's the one who really suggested it. I just told you we had the ability. He would've told you the risks if he felt he need to," Jayla explained. "It isn't my place to explain everything for Wing. If he didn't say anything, he'll be fine."

"Whatever," Crow responded seeming annoyed and tense.

Yusei grabbed her hand gently and she looked at him. He nodded at Jayla to silently tell her it was fine. He knew she was right that Wing would've mentioned it if he felt it were important, especially since it was him doing it and not Jayla. Either way, this was going to go fine, Jayla knew that in her heart.

Meanwhile Wing was looking around in the past as a ghost like figure. He turned as the door silently opened. He watched carefully as the figure entered. He saw the person hurriedly going to the program.

Wing got closer and looked to make sure he was seeing the person right. When he was hundred-percent certain it was him, he growled in frustration. He took a deep breath before letting himself return to the original present time.

The other were completely relieved when Wing came out of it seeming perfectly fine and normal. "Well?" Crow prodded.

"It was Lazar," Wing answered.

"Lazar?" Jack repeated.

"Who's Lazar?" Bruno asked.

"Assistant Director of the Public Maintenance Security Bureau," Yusei answered.

"Annoying jokester, looks like a clown most of the time, and always things whatever he says is funny," Jayla detailed.

"No kidding," Jack agreed. "So, Wing, it was Lazar who stole the program?" The Dragon Protector nodded. "Great."

"Let's go try to find him," Yusei suggested. "We can probably find him easily if he's still heading to the location."

"Right," they agreed and took off.


	25. The Warehouse

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 25**

 **The Warehouse**

Third Person POV

Bruno and Yusei with Jayla behind him, since she couldn't be talked out of coming, drove in a group looking for Lazar while Jack and Crow, who had an invisible Dragon Protector by his side, looked other places. Yusei was explaining to Bruno about the Dark Signer, Dragon Protectors, and everything that had happened since before they met while looking.

Eventually, though, they caught sight of the clown faced man driving away in a car. They quickly but subtly followed him to a mall.

"Where is he going?" Yusei wondered. They walked through the mall with Yusei keeping a firm grip on Jayla's hand when suddenly, the crowd got bigger and more thick. Yusei immediately held Jayla's hand tighter to ensure she couldn't get separated from him. She winced a bit at the strength of it, but didn't mention anything.

It didn't take long before the couple and Bruno had noticed they had been tricked when they lost Lazar. They hurried out and caught Lazar's car heading in another direction.

"That's heading to the warehouses at the Satellite pier," Yusei commented.

"Then let's go," Jayla suggested. "Maybe we can cut him off before he can get to wherever he's going."

"Doubtful, but let's go still," Bruno responded and Yusei nodded. They hurried off towards where they knew Lazar was heading.

. . .

Lazar walked inside a warehouse and met Primo, in one of the halls of the building. "The program, sir," Lazar told him while handing over the data.

"You are dismissed," Primo responded and Lazar left. Primo turned to a surveillance camera and saw Yusei, Jayla, and Bruno entering the building. "So he's here. Looking for the program, no doubt. But he's too late. Who knows, I may just be able to get a hold of the Dragon Protector today after all, and will take her power that she has inside her."

Primo pressed a button before walking off.

. . .

The Signer, former Dragon Protector, and amnesiac walked around the building and found a factory full of unfamiliar machinery.

"This is almost like a spaceship or something," Bruno commented.

"I guess," Yusei agreed, though with more uncertainty in those words.

They walked around to further investigate the area. "Do you have any idea on where the program is in here?" Bruno asked Jayla.

"I'm faintly sensing something in here who might be the person who has it. But it's too faint for me to track without being closer to it," she explained.

"Why is it so faint, though?" Bruno asked.

"I don't know," Yusei answered.

"We'll find the program, guys," Jayla reassured.

"I know we will," Yusei agreed, keeping a hold of her had..

Suddenly, alarms went off and a door slammed down. Yusei was barely able to get Jayla to his side before it slammed down on her. But the door separated the two from Bruno.

"Bruno!" Yusei called.

"I'm fine!" the man called back. "I'll keep up my search on this side while you keep up yours."

"Be careful, Bruno," Jayla told him. "The person I'm sensing something dark here. So be careful and watch everything around you."

"Right," Bruno agreed and the couple heard their friend leave.

The Signer and his girlfriend turned and walked around more, watching everything they passed and everything that moved. It didn't take long, though, before they noticed a familiar, purple haired clown turning a corner into a room.

"Lazar!" Jayla exclaimed quietly.

"Come on, Jayla," Yusei ordered and they turned behind the clown.

Before Lazar knew anything else, Yusei was in arm's reach and grabbed the clown, pinning him to the wall. Yusei held Lazar off the ground slightly, with his arm at Lazar's neck.

"Oh, hello, Yusei and Jayla," Lazar greeted nervously. "Wha-What seems to be the problem?"

"Where's the program, Lazar?" Yusei asked sternly.

"Why, I don't know anything about that," Lazar denied innocently.

"Don't play dumb, Lazar," Jayla ordered as Yusei's warning glare intensified and even Lazar grew slightly fearful of the deadly eyes being directed at him.

"Where are they?" Yusei asked again, slight anger and frustration in his voice. But he kept his emotions calm and unaffecting.

"Uh… um… uh…" Lazar stammered. He was obviously trying to find a way out of the situation without telling anything of what he knew but he was struggling to with Yusei's glare that only seemed to grow stronger the longer he waited. "I… You see, my higher ups… um…" Lazar was cut off as a robot came out, taking all of their attention to it.

"Orders received. Closing and locking all exits in room," he listed off.

"Oh, great," Jayla stated sarcastically as the doors shut and were locked tight. "I don't think we're getting out of here anytime soon."

"We're trapped here, then," Yusei stated. He sent a glare at Lazar before letting him go.

"Lockdown sequence complete. If the doors are to be unlocked, one of you must defeat me in a duel," the robot requested.

"So we have to beat that thing to get out?" Yusei asked.

"Correct," the robot answered. "Choose a player."

"Uh, how about one of you do it?" Lazar suggested.

"I'll do it," Jayla decided.

"No," Yusei denied. "I'm going. Stay here, and watch Lazar." She sighed in defeat, but nodded. The Signer jumped over the railing and onto the ground. He got his duel disk and deck ready in its slot.

"Just be careful…" Jayla muttered worriedly.

"I'll be fine, Jayla," Yusei told her. "Don't worry about me." She gave a small nod, though her worry didn't cease.


	26. A Robot with Danger

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 26**

 **A Robot with Danger**

Third Person POV

"Duel initiated," the robot called. "Opponent may have first turn."

"Fine," Yusei agreed and drew his card. "I activate the spell card One for One! By sending Speed Warrior from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon Level Eater (Attack 600/ Defense 0) in defense mode. I then summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in attack mode and activate its effect. This allows me to special summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) from my graveyard in defense mode with its effects negated. Now I tune Speed Warrior with Junk Synchron in order to synchro summon, Junk Warrior (Attack 2300/ Defense 1300)!" His monster came to the field with his signature punch. "And due to Junk Warrior's effect, it gains attack equal to the attack of all level two or below monsters I control (Junk Warrior: Attack 2900). I then set a face down and end my turn."

The robot drew his card. "Activating card, Level Limit- Area B! Now all level four or above monsters will be changed to defense position," it declared and Junk Warrior switched to its defense mode. "Ending turn with three face downs."

Yusei drew his card. "I activate Graceful Revival to special summon Speed Warrior from my graveyard in attack mode," he declared.

"Activating counter, Malfunction to negate the activation of Graceful Revival and resetting it by paying 500 life points," the robot fought and its life points fell to 3500. And since Graceful Revival was negated Speed Warrior returned to the graveyard. "And now since a counter trap card I control negated one of your cards, I can special summon Lock Dragon (Attack 0/ Defense 2000) in defense position. Now while Lock Dragon is in face up defense mode, both players are forbidden from special summoning monsters. I then activate Counter Force. This card gains one Charge Counter due to a counter trap card being activated. During my standby phase, I can send Counter Force to the graveyard and inflict 1000 points of damage to you for each Charge Counter that is on Counter Force."

' _That thing is going to try to put four counters on it, so it can inflict 4000 points of damage at me. I need to find a way around this monster and fast,'_ Yusei thought.

. . .

Meanwhile, Bruno walks into a new room and looks around in shock. Suddenly, the door opened behind him and he couldn't see who it was before he was knocked out.

. . .

"I set a face down and end my turn," Yusei finished.

The bot drew its card. "I activate Summon Pass! Now when a player normal summon a level four or below monster, the player's opponent draws one card and the summoned monster's controller must then call what type of card is drawn, a monster, spell, or trap. If the player calls wrong, the summoned monster is destroyed," it declared. "I set one face down and end my turn."

Yusei drew. "I switch Level Eater into attack position and activate Synchro Gift. By reducing Junk Warrior's attack to 0 (Junk Warrior: Attack 0) until the end phase, I can increase the attack of Level Eater by the original attack of Junk Warrior until the end phase (Level Eater: Attack 2900)," he declared. "Level Eater, attack Lock Dragon!"

"Countering with Negate Attack. This negates the attack and ends the battle phase. And then the effect of Counter Force activates, giving it a second Charge Counter," the robot countered.

"I end my turn," Yusei finished and due to it being the end phase, Level Eater's attack returned to 600 and Junk Warrior's attack returned to 2900.

The robot drew a card. "Setting one face down and ending turn," he declared.

Yusei drew his card. But that's when alarms started going off and lights blinked in an eerie, red glowing pattern. "SELF-DESTRUCTION INITIATED! PLEASE EVACUATE THE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY!" a mechanical voice called. It continued to repeat its warning over and over.

"Yusei, please hurry!" Lazar called.

"I'm trying, Lazar!" Yusei retorted. He turned back to the duel. "I summon Drill Synchron (Attack 800/ Defense 300) in attack mode!"

"I activate the effect of Summon Pass!" the robot called and it drew its card. "Guess the type of card."

"A trap," Yusei stated. The robot revealed the card to be the trap card, Barrel Behind the Door. "I activate Blind Spot Strike! This increases the attack of Drill Synchron by the defense of Lock Dragon until the end phase."

"Activating, Magic Jammer. This negates the effect of your card and destroys it by discarding Barrel Behind the Door! This also added a third Charge Counter to Counter Force," the robot defended.

"I end my turn," Yusei finished.

"Yusei!" came Crow's voice in over the PA system. "You and Jayla need to get out of there!"

"Are you watching this?"Yusei asked.

"Yeah, and you need to get out of there now!" Jack replied.

"I can't. This entire room's been put on lockdown until I beat this robot. I have Lazar in here too and none of us can leave until I beat this thing," Yusei explained.

"Then hurry it up!" Crow retorted.

"I'm trying, Crow. For now, all of you get out of here. I'll meet you outside," Yusei reassured.

"You don't have enough time, Yusei!" Bruno argued.

"I'll be fine. Just get out now! I need to focus," Yusei responded before he turned back to the duel again, blocking out Lazar's urgent - and annoying - calls for the Signer to hurry. Jayla was also seeming to get annoyed by Lazar.

The robot drew its card. "Activating Messenger of Peace! Now neither player can attack with monsters that have 1500 or more attack points," it declared. "And during each of my standby phases, I must either pay 100 life points or destroy Messenger of Peace. Ending turn there."

Yusei drew his card. "I activate Double Cyclone! By targeting my set Graceful Revival and your Counter Force, I can destroy them," he declared.

"Activating Solemn Judgement to negate the effect of Double Cyclone by paying half my life points," the robot declared and its life points fell to 1750. The effect of Counter Force activated, giving it a fourth counter.

"I tribute Level Eater in order to tribute summon Earthquake Giant (Attack 1600/ Defense 2100) in attack mode," Yusei fought but duel to the effect of Level Limit- Area B, Yusei's monster was switched to defense position since it was a level five monster. "I activate the effect of Earthquake Giant! Since its battle position was changed, I can switch Lock Dragon to attack mode. And this means Lock Dragon's effect is no longer applied to both players. And then I activate, Panic Wave! By destroying Graceful Revival, I can negate the effects of all face up Continuous Spell and Trap cards and any effect monsters you control this turn. So now I tune Junk Warrior with Drill Synchron to synchro summon, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)! Now Stardust Dragon, attack Lock Dragon!" The attack succeeded and the robot's life points fell to 0.

All the doors were unlocked and Yusei quickly got back up to Jayla and Lazar on the platform. He immediately ordered, grabbing a hold of Jayla's hand again, "Let's get out of here, now."

They nodded and ran out fast. Right before Lazar was able to disappear, however, Jayla stepped in front of Lazar making him stop while Wing landed on the other side of him, with Yusei next to him, pretty much trapping him in place. Jack, Bruno, and Crow came running up.

"Alright, you have him in place," Bruno commented. "Good."

"Lazar, tell us now, where is the program?" Yusei ordered.

"I may have given it to my higher-ups at their order," he answered nervously.

"Are you serious?!" Jack exclaimed infuriated.

"I was ordered to! Don't kill me please!" Lazar responded fearfully.

Yusei rolled his eyes and let go of his grip on Lazar. "Don't think of doing this again, Lazar. Trust me, you don't want to," he told the clown who nodded and quickly ran off after.

"What're we going to do, Yusei?" Crow asked.

"Well," Bruno responded, "the only thing we can do is try to create it again."

"Think you can?" Jack questioned.

"We should be able to," Yusei responded. "It'll be difficult, but possible."

"Then let's get to it," Jayla suggested. "The sooner we get it done again, the better." They all nodded in agreement, with a slight grin.


	27. Even Family Fights

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 27**

 **Even Family Fights**

Third Person POV

It had been two weeks since the incident with Lazar. The new program was just about finished again. It had taken a bit longer, but was well on its way.

At the moment, Zora stood outside the garage, watching something. The five Signers, Jayla, and Wing walked outside to check on her. But it seemed like Zora either didn't fully recognize Jayla or hadn't taken notice of her yet, which would've been strange seeing how long she's been around.

"Hey, Zora, why are you so upset?" Crow asked.

"Oh, be quiet!" Zora yelled. Wing sighed slightly in annoyance, but didn't say anything.

"What's troubling you?" Yusei asked calmly.

Zora sighed. "The town committee has decided they'll be replacing the cuckoo clock that I've cherished," she explained sadly.

They looked at it and Crow mentioned, "It isn't moving."

"Don't remind me of that!" Zora yelled.

"Why is Zora being so mean to me?" they heard Crow mumble.

"My son is coming to visit, but we're in an argument," Zora stated. She then covered Crow's ears and yelled, "You know!" Everyone couldn't help but laugh at it, Wing was obviously struggling to keep his laughter contained.

Zora stalked inside, leaving them to return to working on the duel runners. After a bit of working on them, Yusei heard someone open the door.

"Nice duel runners," a man complimented.

They looked up to see the man standing in the doorway. "Aren't you Zora's son?" Akiza asked.

"Yep," he replied. "My name is Lyndon. I set out three years ago to study clocks and just returned to repair the broken one here."

"Your actions were the worst," Crow stated.

"He's the worst," Jack corrected.

"Did you leave in order to train yourself?" Akiza asked.

"Yep," Lyndon answered.

"You should probably apologize to Zora, Lyndon," Yusei told him gently. "Try to make things right again." Lyndon seemed hesitant.

"Would Zora fight with her son again?" Akiza wondered.

"Yeah," Lyndon replied.

"The stronger your bonds are with your parents, the harder it is to get words across," Jayla added. The boy grabbed her hands and shook them in agreement to her statement.

Yusei grabbed Lyndon and pulled him away. "You should probably get to work fixing the clock," he told him.

"Yeah," Crow agreed. "The old clock is going to be replaced."

Lyndon immediately dashed to fix the clock. However, Akiza called, stopping him, "You need to change into something better."

. . .

Yusei, Jack, Crow, Wing, and Jayla followed Akiza as she led Lyndon to a tuxedo store. She got Lyndon to dress in a tuxedo while they watched from the side.

Lyndon began to have a bit of trouble with his tie so Jack walked over. He grabbed the end of it and pulled on it tightly before Akiza stopped him.

"I'll do it," she stated and successfully, and easily, tied it in place.

"How did you learn to tie those things?" Yusei asked.

"My father needs to tie his tie every morning. So I got used to it," Akiza answered.

"You did that a lot when you were young too, right, Akiza?" Jayla responded.

Akiza grinned and agreed with, "Right." Both Wing and Jayla noticed Rose seem to get tense and angry in her state of appearance which was only visible to them.

" _Got a problem, Rose?"_ Wing asked.

" _I don't trust that thing beside you to be anywhere Akiza. Or the Signers in general,"_ she growled. Jayla went a bit wide eyed in shock and hurt at her choice of words.

" _Rose!"_ Wing exclaimed in anger. _"What has gotten into you? As far as I heard, you and Jayla were fine before this happened! And Jayla didn't have a choice in this. Do you think she wanted that dark energy in her?!"_

" _Even if she didn't, she's a danger to everyone around her! You're honestly okay with having her so close to Crow? And Yusei and Jack as well?"_ Rose argued.

" _Rose, back off now,"_ Wing ordered. _"You know this isn't Jayla fault in anyway. Calm down and start behaving and being nice to Jayla for once."_

" _Wing, you know she's a serious danger to everyone around her. She shouldn't even be near anyone in New Domino. Or anyone in general! You saw what she did to that Primo guy when he caught her!"_ Rose retorted. _"You can't just-"_

" _Enough, Rose. Now,"_ Wing ordered. Rose growled a bit in anger before turning away. But it was painfully obvious that Rose's words had hurt Jayla.

"Jayla," Yusei called in a low whisper, "what's wrong?"

"N-Nothing," she replied also in a similar whisper.

"Really? Because Wing seems really tense," Crow replied.

"And I swear I feel Rose's anger," Akiza chimed in.

"It's difficult to explain," Wing answered. "Just-"

Rose landed and glared at him in warning. "This is Dragon Protector stuff. You don't need to worry about it," she told them sternly.

"I think we do if it's hurting Jayla," Akiza retorted tense.

"Mistress, just leave it between us. We'll resolve this on our own," Rose told her calmly. Everyone seemed uncertain about it, but said nothing. Yusei was carefully watching Jayla, though, trying to figure out what exactly happened during what he knew was a mental conversation.

"Anyway, now that Lyndon's got his outfit, why don't we get you to your mother?" Jayla suggested kindly, trying to shift the topic to something better.

"Yeah," Lyndon agreed and they left. He asked them to stay outside while he confronted his mother.

They waited outside the door, just out of view, as his mother saw him, clearly shocked by his presence. "Mom, I came back to fix the clock tower for you," Lyndon told Zora.

"Is this how Lyndon was supposed to apologize to his mother?" Jack wondered.

But just as Lyndon finished explaining why he left and why he came back, Zora picked up a chair and threw it at him. The son tripped but, thankfully, wasn't hit by the chair.

"It was you who broke the clock!" Zora yelled.

Crow came up and asked, "What happened?"

Lyndon explained everything and at the end of the explanation, Zora asked Lyndon, "Do you even have the courage to fix the clock?" Her son looked down doubtful. Lyndon turned to leave again but Crow stepped in front of him.

"You can't run away, Lyndon. How about a duel? If I win, you have to apologize to your mother and fix the clock. But if you win, you can do whatever you please," Crow challenged.

"Fine," Lyndon agreed.

They each grabbed their decks and duel disks. Yusei paid close attention to Crow's expressions as both he and Jayla knew the Signer of the Tail was going to pull something.

Lyndon went first and drew his card. "I summon Monster Clock (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode. That's all for now," he declared.

Crow drew. "I summon Blackwing- Fane the Steel Chain (Attack 500/ Defense 800) in attack mode. And since I control a Blackwing, I can special summon Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind (Attack 1300/ Defense 400) from my hand in attack mode. Now Gale the Whirlwind, attack his Monster Clock!" he ordered.

"I activate the effect of Monster Clock! When this card is selected as an attack target, I can equip it with the attacking monster and increase its attack equal to the attack monster (Monster Clock: Attack 1300)!" Lyndon defended.

"Well, Fane the Steel Chain can attack you directly with its own effect," Crow stated and his monster successfully dealt damage dropping Lyndon's life points to 3500. "I end my turn there."

Lyndon drew his card and declared, "I summon Clock Knight No. 12 (Attack 1200/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Now since I control a Clock Knight, I can activate the spell Clockwork to special summon Clock Knight No. 3 (Attack 300/ Defense 300) in attack mode, since its level is lower than Clock Knight No. 12. And then I activate the effect of Clock Knight No. 12 to flip a coin. If it lands on a Heads, Clock Knight No. 12 gains 1200 attack points for one turn. But if it lands on a Tails, Clock Knight No. 12 is destroyed." The coin flipped to a Tails but he defended his monster, "I activate the second effect of Clock Knight No. 3 to toss the coin again!" The coin landed on Heads this time increasing Clock Knight No. 12's attack to 2400. "And now I activate the first effect of Clock Knight No. 3 to flip another coin. If it lands on Heads, Clock Knight No. 3 gains 1200 attack points for one turn, but if it lands on tails, Clock Knight No. 3 will be destroyed." It landed on Heads jumping the monster's attack to 1500. "Clock Knight No. 12, attack his Blackwing- Fane the Steel Chain!" The attack destroyed Crow's only monster and dropped Crow's attack to 2100. "Now Clock Knight No. 3, attack Crow directly!"

"I activate the effect of Blackwing- Ghibli the Searing Wind (Attack 0/ Defense 1600) to special summon it from my hand in defense mode," Crow defended. Lyndon chose not to attack again and finished his turn. And due to it being the end phase, both Clock Knights' attacks returned to a normal 1200 and 300 points.

Crow drew his card to begin to his turn and Jayla caught sight of the card. "I set one card face down."

' _Mirror Force? We'll see if Crow actually decides to use it, with what I can tell he's thinking at the moment,'_ she thought.

"Then I normal summon Blackwing- Blizzard the Far North (Attack 1300/ Defense 0) in attack mode and activate its effect. This allows me to revive my Blackwing- Fane the Steel Chain (Attack 500/ Defense 800) in defense mode," Crow declared. "Now I tune Fane the Steel Chain and Ghibli the Searing Wind with Blizzard the Far North to synchro summon. Rise up, Blackwing Armor Master (Attack 2500/ Defense 1500)! Blackwing Armor Master, attack Clock Knight No. 3!" The attack succeeded and Lyndon's life points fell to 1300. "I end my turn."

"I think I'll forfeit," Lyndon stated in defeat.

"You better not forfeit," Crow retorted stopping him. "You need to see every duel to the end. Do you really want to give up in front of Zora?"

Lyndon looked at him shocked. He then grew a determined face and answered, "No, I don't." He drew his card. "I summon Time Wizard (Attack 500/ Defense 400) in attack mode and activate its effect. Now I get to toss a coin and if I call it right, I can destroy your monster," Lyndon played and called his guess. It turned out as correct and Crow's only monster was destroyed. "Monster Clock and Clock Knight No. 12, attack him directly!" The attacks went through and Jayla watched to Crow as the bird named man decided not to use Mirror Force, which would have given him the advantage and won him the duel. But since he didn't use it, the attacks hit and Crow's life points fell to zero.

"Nice duel, Lyndon," Crow stated.

Lyndon turned to walk away but Jayla stopped him by saying, "Lyndon, Crow was the real one who won this duel." He looked at her. Zora looked at her and went wide eyed in realization and shock. "Crow could've used his set Mirror Force to destroy your monsters and the cards in his hand would've given him the edge to win. But he didn't. Instead, he lost so he could show you something."

"And what was that?" Lyndon asked.

"That even when you mess up, you can still win," Yusei chimed in. Lyndon looked shocked.

"Crow showed you that because you messed up in the past and you were running away from it. You were thinking that you were losing to it," Jayla continued told him. "But losing to the past is something you should never do." She looked at Zora for a moment who was in a state of shock. "Locking yourself to the past of which separated you from someone is something that is the same to separating yourself. You messed up when you broke the clock, but now it's the future and that time has passed into history. Now you can fix it and amend things with your mother, who I know deep down wants to end this long lasting fight."

Lyndon looked down in thought along with Zora. Slowly, they looked at each other and nodded. "I think Jayla's right," Zora stated. "This fight has gone on long enough. It is true that I don't like this separation that occurred so long ago. After all those years of happiness."

"I'll fix the clock like I told you I would," Lyndon stated. He looked at Jayla. "You're right, Jayla. Running away from the past is something I've done too long. And it's something I need to change in myself, to have myself look more towards the future."

Jayla nodded with a small smile. "Good to hear," she told him and he grinned. She looked at her Yusei who nodded at her in approval.

With that, they all went inside for a while to hang out while Lyndon fixed the clock. After a bit, Zora came up to Jayla with them being over in the corner.

"Jayla, is that really you?" she asked.

"Yes, Zora, it is," she answered. "I've been around for a while, but I never got a chance to say 'hi'. Sorry about that."

"It's fine, Jayla. At least I know now," Zora assured her. "You certainly have grown over the years."

"I would hope so," Jayla responded with a grin.

Zora gave a soft grin back. "What have you been up to recently?" she asked.

"Just helping Yusei with the duel runner, really," Jayla answered, keeping the whole truth away from her. She didn't want to tell her the truth about what has been happening as of late. It was too complicated and she didn't want anyone else worrying about her, especially Zora.

Zora gave a small laugh. "You and Yusei together?" she asked. Jayla gave an awkward face a bit, but nodded. "Well, you certainly picked a good choice. Good luck with him."

"Thanks, Zora," Jayla responded politely.

They turned as Lyndon came in, saying that the clock was working again. Jayla looked down a bit in a sad thought, _'Am I really a danger to everyone around me?'_


	28. Inner Torment

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 28**

 **Inner Torment**

Jayla's POV

I flew in the sky, trying to find some place to sort my thoughts. The more I thought about Rose's words, the more I felt she was right. I needed to be alone and figure out what I should do next. I came up on the Infinity tower and landed on the very top of it, being sure I was out of view.

I sat down and put my forehead against my knees. _'Am I really a danger to the others and… Yusei? I mean… what I did to Primo when he tried to kill me…'_ I thought distressed. _'Should I leave forever? I can't let Yusei get hurt… or worse, especially if it's because of me. I may not have that instinctive urge to protect him anymore with my life, but I can't just let him get hurt because of me. I love him…'_

A tear fell onto my leg as I muttered, "What am I going to do?"

Yusei's POV

It had been a good two weeks since Zora and Lyndon made up. But two days ago, Jayla disappeared without a trace. Wing, Jack, Crow, and I had been searched everywhere we could think of, but she just disappeared.

We had decided to leave the twins and Akiza out of this, not that Rose would let Akiza look for Jayla in the first place. I knew the argument from when Lyndon was getting his suit was from Rose pushing out her fury against Jayla at Jayla and Wing. Wing told Ancient about Jayla going missing and she asked to help, but he turned her down. We all knew that Jayla didn't need so many people looking for her at once.

But now that the two days had passed, the overwhelming worry I had been trying to hide and control was beginning to show. I needed to talk to her about what happened and I was worried she left so she couldn't explain it to me. Wing wouldn't say it for Jayla despite even Crow's words. And my worry was made even worse when Wing told us Jayla wasn't responding to any telepathic calls from neither him nor Ancient.

At the moment, I was on the road looking for Jayla with Crow and Jack in their own areas of looking. Wing had decided to look around from higher points in the sky for once and I couldn't understand why he hadn't thought of doing that until then. But it wasn't my job to ask him that, it was Crow's and I wasn't even sure Wing would answer Crow on the matter.

"Anyone see her, yet?" I called.

"No," Crow answered.

"No sign here," Jack answered.

"Man, where did she go?" Crow wondered. "I mean, this isn't like her at all."

"Think it has to do with Rose?" Jack suggested.

"I wouldn't set it aside," I answered. "After seeing how hurt Jayla was, how Akiza said she could feel Rose's emotions, and how angry Wing seemed back when we were getting Lyndon he suit, it's possible Rose had said something that none of them liked."

"I'll call Wing and see if he's found her yet," Crow stated. He was obviously about to call out when he said, "Well, he's coming anyways."

"Hopefully with good news," Jack commented. "We've lost one Dragon Protector already. And we don't need to lose Jayla, too."

I looked down a bit, thinking of how Jayla said that Wing had told her about Arch only living if she was dead and vice versa. I knew I couldn't tell Jack about that, yet. Jack was still upset about Arch's death and was easily triggered to any emotion when the subject was brought up. I didn't want to know what Jack would do if he was told about this goddess of fate's choice that led to Arch's death.

"Hey, Wing, what did you find?" Crow's voice asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"I think I found her," he answered. "She's on top of the Infinity Tower."

"On top of it?" I questioned.

"If she's on top of it, the three of us won't ever be able to get to her," Jack commented.

"And she won't listen to me if I tried to talk to her," Wing commented. "If we get to the balcony a couple yards under the top, I am strong enough to bring one of you up. But I should only bring one of you. I couldn't see much without getting too close, but she seemed like she was in a distraught state or something similar."

"If you can bring me up, I'll try to talk to her," Yusei told him. "But let's meet at the tower balcony first." They nodded and we all hurried to get to the tower.

I arrived first being the closest, but it didn't take two minutes before the other three arrived. "Is she still up there, Wing?" I asked.

"From what I saw when I got the glimpse as we arrived, yes," he answered.

"Are you sure you're strong enough to get Yusei up there?" Crow asked. "I mean, he's all muscle making him quite heavy."

"Just as all Dragon Protectors can, I can switch into my dragon form as I wish," Wing explained.

"I haven't even seen your dragon form. Heck, I don't even have my Signer Dragon, yet," Crow replied.

"Are you so certain?" Wing answered. "You do have the dragon card Pearson gave you, right?"

"Who's Pearson?" I asked.

We turned as Crow brought out a card. We looked at it in shock as we read its name: "Black-Winged Dragon". Crow looked at Wing and asked, "This is my Signer Dragon? But it was Pearson's to begin with."

"Stardust Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, Ancient Fairy Dragon, and Black Rose Dragon didn't initially begin as Yusei and the other's dragons," Wing replied. "Stardust, Archfiend, and Black Rose, all were originally belonging to Professor Fudo for the Ener-D project, then Rex Goodwin, and then to them. The Crimson Dragon and the Signer Dragons always find their way to their Signers, even when the Signer doesn't realize their chosen job yet."

"Anyway, we can talk about this later," I replied. "We need to get to Jayla before she realizes we're down here and flies off again."

"I concur, Yusei," Wing responded. He jumped out of the balcony before silently flying up at the dragon from the picture. "Hop on, Yusei."

"Right," I agreed. I carefully got onto Wing's dragon back.

"Yusei," Crow called. I turned to my two Signer friends.

"Be careful," Jack told me. "We don't know the state she'll be in after two days of being alone and away from you."

"Right," I agreed before Wing silently took off to get higher. When Wing got high enough, I looked for a moment to see Jayla facing away from me, head in her knees and shaking slightly. I stepped off and onto the top of the tower. I nodded at Wing who nodded back before disappearing below the ceiling.

I stepped towards her when she ordered, "Don't come near me, Yusei."

That shocked me a bit. "Jayla, I just need to talk to you," I told her gently and calmly.

"Then talk from over there," she instructed.

"Jayla, what's wrong with you?" I answered. "It isn't like you to disappear for this long or the way you did."

"You wouldn't understand, Yusei," she replied.

"I would if you would talk to me," I argued gently. "Does it have to do with that argument you, Wing, and Rose had before?" She stayed silent. "Jayla, what did Rose say? Why can't you-?"

"I'm a danger to everyone," she interrupted.

"Jayla, that's not true in the slightest," I told her sternly.

"You saw what I did to the Primo guy when he took me. You know what I nearly did to you when I first returned," Jayla argued. "Because of me returning, Arch had to die. Everyone I've come across with has been hurt in some way."

"Jayla, none of that is your fault," I told her. I began to walk closer when a pulse wave shot out of her, and blew me back a few feet, my head off the edge of the roof. I carefully and slowly got up. I looked at her and noticed tears begin to drip onto her legs that already seemed to have tear stains of them. "Jayla, listen to me. None of this, none of what has ever happened, is your fault. It's the Earthbound Immortals who made you do that to me back then. It's that Primo's fault for scaring you and trying to kill you. And it's only because of the goddess of fate that you mentioned that Arch had to die."

"Just… leave me alone, Yusei," she told me.

"No, Jayla, I won't," I denied sternly. Leaving her alone in this state was never going to happen. I wasn't going to do it. "Listen to me, Jayla. I'm right here and I'm not leaving you. I promised you that I would always be by your side and there to help you. Because I love you, Jayla. So no matter what you say or what you do, I'm staying right here at your side until I can figure out some way to help you wake up from this."

"Yusei…" she muttered obviously in shock, also seeming in a bit of a daze.

' _It almost sounds like she's hearing me from within a trance or something,'_ I thought. I slowly kneeled on the ground, keeping my feet firmly placed so I could be blown back if she sent another wave at me. I didn't have the space to land and slide if she did. If she used that pulse was, I would be sent right off this roof if I could keep myself stable. "Jayla, look at me and tell me what's wrong. You can't worry about being a danger to everyone, because you aren't. No one sees you as a danger except Rose. Not Wing, Ancient, Jack, Crow, Akiza, the twins, or me. If we did, we wouldn't have been non-stop looking for you for the past two days. Look at me, Jayla, and trust me on this."

That's when I noticed a dark glow begin to form around her and I knew what that meant. Without a second thought, I sprinted towards her. As I got a foot away from her, I was shot back by a shield. _'The Earthbound Immortals are keeping me from touching her and I doubt she'll be able to hear me now,'_ I thought worriedly. _'I can't help her this time!'_ I hit the ground in anger. _'I need to find some way. Fast!'_


	29. Fight for Control

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 29**

 **Fight for Control**

Yusei's POV

I heard a dark voice say to Jayla, _**"Let us have control. Let us relieve you from this pain."**_

"B-But…" Jayla muttered.

" _ **Yusei cannot help you. You've only been putting him in danger, right? By giving us control, you won't feel that pain anymore. We've already been holding on and keeping a good grip on you recently, haven't we? You haven't felt any pain until Yusei came up, aren't we right?"**_ the dark voice told her.

"That's true…" Jayla agreed seeming to be becoming possessed.

' _Her fear and pain are becoming too much for her. Damn it, Rose! You could've used your brain before you said those things,'_ I thought worriedly. I looked at my mark for a moment. It was a direct link to the Crimson Dragon. _'If I can activate enough power from my mark, I might be able to reach into that shield and at least grab her arm, remind her that I'm there to help.'_

I took a deep breath and began to focus. My mark glowed because I knew I didn't have enough power to break through the shield. "Come on…" I muttered. "I need some help here." I felt the others sending some of their strength to me, along with some concern. I turned as the full Mark of the Crimson Dragon appeared on my back and my body gave a red glow.

" _You can enter the shield now, my Signer. Save Jayla,"_ I heard a voice and I knew it was the Crimson Dragon by her words.

I reached my hand in and found a bit of resistance, but it wasn't too bad. I pressed forth, not ready to give up on Jayla anytime soon. I quickly found my hand on her arm and she seemed to perk up a bit in shock. I soon found my entire body within the shield that had been expanding, no doubt the Earthbound Immortals trying to force me off before now.

I quickly turned Jayla's body to me and brought her close and tight. "I'm here, Jayla. I'm right here. Don't give into the Immortals. The only ones who can truly relieve your pain is those you trust to share it with. Even if the Immortals relieved your pain while they controlled you, you know as soon as they released you, you would feel an even worse pain from what you would be forced to do while they controlled you," I whispered to her through her hair. "Snap out of it, Jayla. Don't listen to the Immortals. They're just manipulating you and your pain."

"Yusei…" I heard her mutter, almost in recognition. I looked at her in her eyes which were shifting to those like a Dark Signer's again; but it was slow, like she was fighting it.

I felt her slowly wrap her arms around me. Her hands gripped the back of me shield and I saw pure fear and worry in her eyes. That's when I felt dagger like claws get shoved into my sides. I cried out a bit at the pain and I knew Jayla was forced to shift her hands into her dragon's forcing her dragon talons into me. I could see it in her eyes, that she didn't want to and she was hurt beyond words.

"I'm… fine, Jayla," I told her, straining a bit, but ignoring the pain to the best of my ability. "I know you're in there. I'm right here. Snap out of it. We're connected, Jayla. Through our love, our history together," I pulled out the dragon scale, ignoring the intense pain I was feeling to do so, "through our bonds." She went wide eyed again, obviously recognizing it through her entranced state. "I'm… right here. I'll be okay and I'll always be there for you. I promise. But you have to break free of their control. You've done it before, and escaped being controlled before. I'm right here."

"I… told you not to get near me…" she whispered.

"And I did so anyways because I love you and can't stand seeing you in such pain," I responded.

I leaned forward and placed my lips on hers while I felt the talons that had dug into me change back into human hands. I placed a hand on her cheek and looked as her eyes returned to normal. As soon as they were back to normal and the shield was completely gone, I knew that meant the Earthbound Immortals had retreated in their attempt. I pulled back from the kiss, watching her as she seemed to be slowly recalling what had happened while being controlled.

She looked at her hands which had my blood on them and immediately went wide eyed. "Yusei, I'm sorry…" she whispered.

"It's fine, Jayla," I told her reassuringly. "It wasn't your fault. The Earthbound Immortals were controlling you and you didn't know what you were doing. And I could tell deep down where the true you was, you were scared and didn't want this to happen."

"But, Yusei-"

"No 'buts'," I interrupted sternly. "It isn't your fault. Do you trust me enough to see I'm telling the truth?" She just looked at me. "You're no danger to anyone. The only ones who are the danger is this new threat and the Earthbound Immortals. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she agreed. She leaned into his chest. "And I trust you."

I slowly stroked her hair. "Good," I told her. I winced a bit as I moved my back. I knew I was losing a good deal of blood from just sitting here with these open wounds. But my main worry at the moment was keeping Jayla calm and helping her.

"Yusei, we need to get you to a doctor," she told him noticing the amount of blood he was losing. "You're losing too much blood."

"I'm fine for now," he assured her.

"No, you're not," she retorted. "Don't lie to me with something that's obvious."

Wing hurriedly came up. "What happened?" he asked noticing Yusei's injury.

"Jayla got controlled by the Immortals and was forced to stab with in the back with her talons," I explained. "But I should be fine."

"I doubt that with how much blood you're losing," Wing retorted. "Let's get you two to Jack and Crow and then get you, Yusei, to the hospital." Jayla looked down in shame and fear. "It's not your fault, Jayla. It's Rose's for pushing you so hard. Believe me, Ancient and I are going to be getting onto Rose for this."

"Thanks, Wing," she responded still seeming to think it's her fault.

"Come on, let's get to the others," he suggested.

"Right," I agreed. I knew my friends would not be happy with this, but they would also understand that me getting hurt was not Jayla doing it willingly and wouldn't go at her for it.

Wing changed into his dragon form while Jayla helped me onto his back. She got on behind me, and I was making sure she didn't get any more blood on her. She didn't need that. Wing took off and quickly arrived where my friends were waiting seeming concerned.

"What happened up there?" Crow asked. I slid off and they were obviously shocked to see me hurt. My bird named friend immediately asked more sternly than before, "Alright what happened?"

"Jayla was taken over by the Immortals and was forced to stab me with her claws. It isn't her fault, though," I explained.

"If she was taken over by the Immortals, then, it can't be her fault," Crow agreed.

"Right," Jack agreed.

"For now, we need to get Yusei some help," Jayla commented. "He's losing too much blood."

"Right," they agreed.

"Want me to take your runner to the hospital, Yusei, while you ride with Crow?" Jayla asked me.

"No, I should be fine to ride my duel runner," I answered.

"Uh, I don't think so, Yusei," Crow cut in. He looked at his wounds. "I mean, have you seen your back? You'll need stitches and they're in areas that you need to help balance on a duel runner. Let Jayla take your runner while you ride with me."

"Alright," I agreed. I had no true way to argue back. I wasn't able to see the wounds since they were in my back, but I could feel them and I knew I wouldn't have been able to ride easily with them, let alone with the blood loss.

As such, I got on behind Crow while Jayla sat on my duel runner. She seemed better now that she was out of the Earthbound Immortals influence. I knew then that what she was saying before they took full control was them manipulating her and pulling her over slowly. She probably didn't hear much of what I was saying at all.

Crow took off quickly with Jayla and Jack following on the duel runners and Wing disappearing but flying in the air. I looked at Jayla who still seemed to feel guilty. At least Wing seemed serious when he said Rose was going to get it from him and Ancient when they saw her again. I wanted to hear what they would say to her, but I knew it wasn't my place.

As soon as we arrived at the hospital, the nurses immediately took me to get the stitches. When the doctors asked what happened, Jayla just said an animal attacked me. I wasn't sure if she was saying that as a way of calling herself an animal or whether it was completely just a cover. And when they asked about the blood on her hands, she said she was trying to help stop the bleeding with pressure until her friends got there to help.

But it also didn't take long before the twins and Akiza arrived with questions. Ancient seemed extremely ticked when Rose arrived as did Wing. I had no doubt Wing explained to Ancient what exactly happened. Akiza and the twins seemed completely and utterly confused about the tension between the three Dragon Protectors.

When they asked us about it, we answered we would tell them about it in the garage. Once I was completely bandaged and able to leave which didn't take too long, we left to the garage where most of everything was explained. The Dragon Protectors kept their arguments that they had been having more dulled down and not as detailed, but Akiza did not seem happy with Rose when Wing told them what happened during the time with Lyndon. And they also didn't mention anything about Arch's death.

I wasn't sure what was going on between the Dragon Protectors or what was going to happen with them at this point. It was bad enough with the Earthbound Immortals _and_ these new Meklord Emperors; but now hearing how bad the in-fighting between the Dragon Protectors, with Jayla trying to keep the peace when she could, were, it just made things worse.

I was mad with Rose as I heard everything she had been saying about Jayla, some of which Jayla didn't even seem to know, but I stayed calm and kept my emotions in check. I didn't need to create any more arguments between all of us. I couldn't let anything get any more worse.


	30. Crash Town- Part 1

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 30**

 **Crash Town- Part 1**

Yusei's POV

It was about a week after Jayla's latest incident with the Earthbound Immortals. Everything was doing better and Jayla was a lot calmer and telling me everything that happened between the Dragon Protectors since they explained the in-fighting.

Rose still had a few frustrating words for Jayla here and there, but the Dragon Protectors agreed to just keep it between me and all of them, seeing Akiza was already frustrated enough with Rose which isn't always the best thing. I was just relieved that Akiza knew the least bit of what Rose had been saying.

I understood keeping the feelings between Signer and Dragon Protector at ease was important, but secrets - even bad secrets - do not help with that. I knew that well enough. I only kept secrets for Jayla when I knew she was right in keeping them.

I wanted to tell Akiza about what Jayla had told me about Rose still making those comments sometimes. Somewhat unfortunately, I had promised Jayla and the other Protectors that I would keep it quiet. If I had their trust that much, I couldn't lose it. So I kept it between us as promised.

Now, it was early morning. I had slowly woken up finding Jayla in my arms still. I looked at her to see her fast asleep. Her face was so peaceful and I didn't want to disrupt it. It made me happy to see her at peace, even in sleep. After all, her being in complete peace like this was rare nowadays.

However, I soon heard the door quietly close out front. I looked at the clock to see it was still six o'clock. Bruno and Jack would still be fast asleep and Crow's shift wouldn't have started for another two hours. And Crow tended to hang out in the living room until his shift, recently talking to Wing about his Signer Dragon.

I carefully sat up unsure, trying not to wake Jayla. I was about to get up, but I felt Jayla grab my arm. I looked at her. "I thought you were asleep," I mentioned noticing how wide awake she was. "How long have you been away?"

"For about ten minutes," she answered.

"You weren't awake when I woke up three minutes ago," I retorted.

"Or maybe I was faking it until you woke up and you just didn't notice," she argued with a slight grin. "Either way, you are not checking out that noise without me."

I sighed. "Fine," I agreed. "Come on."

We walked out and I saw a note on the desk. I walked to it and unraveled the folds to read it with Keeo reading it over my shoulder: " _ **I have heard of you and your girlfriend's friendship with him, Yusei Fudo. I want you to take him away from this town, as he'll surely die here. - Barbara**_." On the very bottom was coordinates to a town called Crash Town.

"Kalin," Jayla muttered.

"Jayla, I want you to stay here while I go check this out," I told her immediately.

"And you know what I going to say to that, right?" she retorted.

I sighed. "Jayla, if this gets dangerous, I want you safe," I told her calmly. "Just stay here."

"No," she immediately denied.

"Jayla-" I began but her warning glare made me stop and sigh. "Alright. But stay close. You want to ride with me or take your duel runner."

"My duel runner," she answered. I nodded and we silently wheeled our duel runners out before we both boarded the duel runners and took off.

. . .

We soon crossed into a desert when Jayla started to look around. "What is it, Jayla?" I asked.

"I sense something. Some people nearby have a lot of negative emotions," she answered. She pointed towards a cliff and called, "Over there!"

I pulled to a stop and looked down the cliff. Though I had instructed Jayla to stay with back, my former Protector still came by my side, frustrating me a bit. We looked to see two men chasing what appeared to be three escaping inmates.

"Those three men are the ones with negative emotions," Jayla informed obviously able to sense it even from here.

"With what?" I asked.

"Sadness, guilt, worry, and a lot of others," she answered with a worried expression on her face.

One of the inmates threw a pendant up to the cliff which landed near me. The two other men activated something on their duel disks which activated a taser function on the collars that the prisoners wore. The three men collapsed while I noticed Jayla go wide eyed in fear. I remembered how she had told me that Primo electrocuted her during those experiments he put her through.

As such, I immediately ordered, "Jayla, look away _now_." She didn't question and did so while I hid her behind me and called down, "What're you doing?!"

They turned to me. "We're simply taking these men back to the mine," one replied.

"You seem like a duelist. Crash Town might welcome you and you could get much work done," the second told me.

The two men then departed with the now-unconscious prisoners. I picked up the man's pendant and looked at it carefully. _'I didn't come here for work,'_ I thought. _'I came here to save Kalin. I should better head to the town to get an idea of what's happening here.'_ I turned to Jayla. "Jayla, you need to get out of here."

She immediately looked at me and shook her head. "Not when there's a chance of you ending up like that," she refused.

I looked her straight in the eyes before looking down at her slightly shaking hands and grabbed them. "Listen to me, you're so scared that you're shaking," I told her calmly.

"Like you aren't afraid," she stated and I shook my head to keep myself calm. "Yusei, admit it: You will need me here to help. Please, Yusei."

I sighed knowing I wouldn't be able to change her mind and I knew she was right when she said I needed her to help. I honestly felt like I would need her in this matter, and I couldn't deny that fact. Plus, I honestly didn't want to separate myself from her at the moment.

"Alright, but stay close unless I tell you otherwise. Understand?" I gave in. She nodded with a determined face. I kissed her forehead lightly before bringing her back and we took off again.

We soon caught sight of the town. I pulled to a stop for a moment. That's when three men dressed in the same outfits as the ones from earlier who attacked the prisoners approached him.

"Hey, this is our town. So pull out your deck and duel," one said.

"I only duel duelists," I responded as I kept Jayla back. I didn't like the vibe I got from these guys. And I could tell Jayla was preparing to duel beside me if it came to that.

The men surrounded the two of us and one said, "This town belongs to us. No one talks to us like that."

"Alr-" I began but a whip hit the ground cutting me off.

"Did you forget? Dueling before sundown is a violation of Crash Town's rules," a woman stated. She turned to me. "Hello, Yusei. I'm Barbara, the one who wrote you the letter." I nodded. "Follow me and I'll explain everything."

I turned and did as I was told with Jayla watching everything. It was obvious to me that she was skeptic of Barbara, by the way she looked at her and how she looked at everything like waiting for an ambush. I had the same feeling that this Barbara was hiding something, a secret plan that she wasn't going to tell me.

We arrived on a cliff overlooking Crash Town. Barbara looked at Jayla. "Got yourself a pretty one there. Didn't think you would try to bring her here. After all, the men here would do anything to get their hands on a girl like her," she stated.

"She didn't give me much of a choice," I responded. I was a bit tense as I was getting a bit nervous as to what "anything" could mean. But I kept that out of Barbara's view. "Her name's Jayla. So what's actually going on here?"

"This town's troubles starts at sunset," Barbara began. The time was soon as the sun was beginning its descent. Two groups of gangs entered the town from opposite directions. "The group with the red scarves is the Malcolm Group, let by Malcolm. The other is the Ramon Group, led by Radley."

"What's going to happen?" Yusei asked while Jayla watched carefully.

"Just watch and see," Barbara replied.

"Are you ready to be defeated Malcolm?" Radley asked.

"Try to beat my sensei of my group," Malcolm stated and a large man with a circular criminal mark. "Meet Giant."

"Who will I be teaching a lesson to?" Giant asked.

"Everyone talks big before a duel starts, not knowing that those words will be their last," Radley told him. "Now, how about my sensei. Kalin Kessler."

Kalin emerged from the distance, playing a harmonica, shocking Jayla and I. "Kalin!" I exclaimed shocked.

"This town's duel time is at sunset. By the time the sun finishes setting, one of the two duelists will vanish," Barbara told me.

"What do you mean by 'vanish'?" Jayla asked.

"Watch," she replied as the residents of the surrounding building began to pour out to watch the duel.

' _If when they lose they become prisoners in those mines I heard about, how could anyone watch this happily or be okay with it?'_ I thought thinking on the reasoning for Barbara's term of "vanish".

I looked as two men dressed as undertakers came up, riding a horse-drawn carriage. Both Kalin and Giant reached for the duel disks, which resembled a Colt revolver in my opinion, as the crowd yelled, "Duel!"

Kalin activated his first. Barbara began to explain to us, "Whoever draws their duel disk and hand first will take the first turn."

Kalin drew his card. "I summon Infernity Mirage (Attack 0/ Defense 0) and set one card face down," he declared. He didn't sound confident or have any emotion other than defeat. And defeat was the only sound in his voice.

"Kalin seems different," Jayla commented.

I nodded. "I know. His drive to duel doesn't seem there anymore."

"Kalin came to this town looking for a place to die," Barbara told us, and that shocked both me and Jayla visibly. She pointed to the mountain. "In that mountain is a mineral called dyne. It's used in the construction of duel runners. People rushed to the town to make money from mining dyne. Malcolm and Radley were in charge of the mining operation. They eventually started to use dueling to gather more miners. If one wins duels here, they stand to make much money. But the losers are sent to the mountain. Many great duelists were tempted by the riches and ended up in the mines after losing."

"That sounds wrong on all levels," Jayla commented sternly.

I looked at Radley and Malcolm. _'Jayla's right. What they're doing is completely wrong. But, I wouldn't doubt they're under the influence of greed and fear into one. With all this darkness… Fear is starting to take down this town,'_ I thought. _'I can't let that happen.'_

Barbara then said, taking me out of my thoughts, "I know it does sometimes. But it's the way things are now. I don't think it'll ever change."

"Everything has the ability to change to the light. No matter how dim the chance may seem," Jayla retorted.

"How sure are you of that?" she asked her.

"One hundred percent," I answered bluntly for Jayla, who nodded. Barbara stared at me for a moment before we returned to the duel.

"I summon Illegal Keeper (Attack 1300/ Defense 1300) in attack mode," Malcolm's Giant declared. "I activate Card Destruction!"

"I activate my face down, Full Salvo! This sends my hand to the graveyard and inflicts 200 points of damage to you for each card sent," Kalin defended and Giant's life points dropped to 3200.

"Kalin's ultimate strength is when he has no hand," I stated. "That Giant should be ready for anything."

"I activate the effect of Infernity Mirage! By tributing it, I can special summon two Infernity monsters from my graveyard," Kalin fought. "So I summon Infernity Archfiend (Attack 1800/ Defense 1200) and Infernity Destroyer (Attack 2300/ Defense 1000) in attack mode."

"I end my turn," Sensei finished.

Kalin drew his card. "I activate Infernity Burst! This inflicts 800 points of damage at you for each Infernity monster I control," he declared and Sensei's life points dropped to 1600. "Infernity Destroy, attack Illegal Keeper!" The attack destroyed his opponent's monster and dropped the other to 600 life points. "And now since Infernity Destroyer destroyed you monster and sent it to the graveyard while I have no cards in my hand, I can activate its effect to send 1600 points of damage at you." The attack hit and won Kalin the duel.

I watched as Giant tried to run, but the undertakers lassoed Kalin's fleeing opponent. I had to force myself not to budge and try to help the man. As much as I wanted to, I knew it wouldn't be a good idea yet.

' _We'll save all the miners,'_ I thought as they stuff the large man into a casket in the back of the wagon and took him to the mountains.

I then realized something. "Those three prisoners I saw earlier were running from the mines," I muttered.

"Kalin is trying to kill himself using this town," Barbara stated.

"Then why doesn't Kalin just lose on purpose?" Keeo asked.

"I don't know the answer for that," she replied.

"That's Kalin's fiftieth win in a row," Radley stated.

"You'll both be going to the mountains next time," Malcolm told Radley. Both groups left.

Jayla and I walked into town as Kalin began his trek away from us, not noticing we were there. "Kalin," I called and he stopped. He looked at us over his shoulder.

"You don't need to punish yourself for anything," Jayla told him.

"Yes, I do," he responded and walked off again leaving me to sigh.

Barbara walked up. "Why don't you try to talk to him through a duel?" she suggested. "But you'll have to join Malcolm's group to do so."

I looked down to think about my options. I then looked up at her. "Alright, fine," I agreed. "Where can I find Malcolm?"

"He's at his villa," she responded. "I'll show you."

I nodded and followed her with Jayla. "Jayla, I have a favor to ask you,"I told her in a low whisper and she gave me a confused look.

"If it's going back, the-"I cut her off.

"That's not it. Just listen to me for a moment,"I requested.

"Alright," she agreed, obviously ready to listen.


	31. Crash Town- Part 2

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 31**

 **Crash Town- Part 2**

Third Person POV

Yusei walked into a courtyard wearing a poncho that Barbara had given him to wear as he heard Malcolm say angrily, "If Lawton was still here, Kalin would be nothing and defeated with one attack."

Yusei entered Malcolm's view and said, "I'm here looking for some work."

The three thugs that confronted me in town earlier approached me while Malcolm stated, "I'll hire ya. But only if you prove yourself by defeating these three."

"Fine by me," Yusei agreed.

They quickly drew, Yusei with a revolver duel disk Barbara had lent him, and drew the cards. Yusei was thankfully successful in going first. "I'll go first, then," he stated. "I normal summon Changer Synchron (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense mode. I set a face down and end my turn."

The first thug then played, "I summon Fuse Ray Blaster (Attack 1600/ Defense 800) in attack mode. I can't attack since it's a battle royal, so I'll end my turn there."

The second thug draw and declared, "I summon another Fuse Ray Blaster."

"And that activates the effect of my Fuse Ray," the first called. "This inflicts 800 to you." Yusei's life points fell to 3200.

"I end my turn with that," the second thug finished.

"I summon another Fuse Ray Blaster," called the third. "That activates the effects of the other two, decreasing your life points another 1600." The Signer's life points reduced to 1600. "There are more than enough bullets remaining." They each showed their hands to show they each contained two more Fuse Ray Blasters. "Give up."

However, Yusei wasn't moved by the three and ignored them, just drawing his card as if to prove he was unmoved by their show. "I send Quillbolt Hedgehog from my hand to the graveyard to special summon Quickdraw Synchron (Attack 700/ Defense 1400) from my hand. And since I control a tuner monster, I can special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog (Attack 800/ Defense 800) straight from my graveyard," he declared. "Now I tuny my level two Quillbolt with my level five Quickdraw Synchron to synchro summon. Rise, Nitro Warrior (Attack 2800/ Defense 1800)! Next I summon level three Gauntlet Warrior (Attack 400/ Defense 1600) and then tune it with level one Changer Synchron to synchro summon level four Armory Arm (Attack 1800/ Defense 1200). And since Changer Synchron was sent to the graveyard, its effect activates, switching one of your Fuse Ray Blasters to defense position." The third thug's monster was switched. "Next I use the effect of Armory Arm, equipping it to Nitro Warrior and increasing its attack by 1000 (Nitro Warrior: Attack 3800). And then I equip Nitro Warrior with Junk Barrage. And since a spell card was activated this turn, the attack of Nitro Warrior increases another 1000 (Nitro Warrior: Attack 4800). Nitro Warrior, attack his Fuse Ray Blaster!" The second thug's monster was destroyed and he was defeated. "Now the effect of Nitro Warrior activates, switching the defense Fuse Ray Blaster to attack and allowing my warrior to attack again." The attack was made and the third thug fell. "And now I activate my face down, Synchro Overlimit, allowing a synchro monster that destroyed a monster by battle this turn, like my Nitro Warrior, to attack again. So, Nitro Warrior, attack one last time and end this!" The first thug's monster was destroyed, as was his life points.

Malcolm walked up. "Can I hire you to defeat Kalin?" he asked Yusei. "The cost will be high."

"I was hoping you would ask me," Yusei answered calmly and decisively.


	32. Crash Town- Part 3

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 32**

 **Crash Town- Part 3**

Yusei's POV

It was sundown and Kalin and I were called to face each other. "Kalin, you don't need to punish yourself like this," I told him.

"I have forgotten what it means to be satisfied," he responded. We quickly drew and Kalin got to go first. "I summon Infernity Randomizer (Attack 900/ Defense 0) in attack mode. I then end my turn with one face down."

I drew my card, watching Kalin carefully. "I summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) in attack mode. Next I activate Fighting Spirit and equip it to Speed Warrior, increasing its attack by 300 for every monster you control (Speed Warrior: Attack 1200). And now that I am entering my battle phase the turn it was summoned, Speed Warrior's attack increases by its original attack until the end of the battle phase (Speed Warrior: Attack 2100). Speed Warrior, attack Infernity Randomizer!" I ordered. The attack destroyed Kalin's monster and his life points fell to 2800.

"Since an Infernity monster was destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can activate Infernity Reflector! This revives Infernity Randomizer and deals you 1000 points of damage by discarding my entire hand," Kalin fought. His monster was revived while my life points fell to 3000.

' _Kalin's hand is empty now. This just got a lot harder,'_ I thought. I then finished, "I set a face down and end my turn."

Kalin drew a card and immediately set it. "Now I activate the effect of Infernity Randomizer to draw a card and send it to the graveyard. If the card I drew and sent away was a monster, you will take damage equal to its level times 200. If it's a spell or trap, I take 500 points of damage," he declared. He pulled the card and it ended up being the level six Infernity Destroyer dropping my life points to 1800.

I drew my card. "I summon Max Warrior (Attack 1800/ Defense 800) in attack position. Max Warrior, attack Infernity Randomizer! And due to its effect, Max Warrior gains another 400 attack points during the damage step only (Max Warrior: Attack 2200)," I fought. My warrior destroyed Infernity Randomizer and dropped Kalin to 1500 life points. But since it destroyed a monster by battle, its attack fell to 900, defense fell to 400, and level fell to 2.

"Since I took battle damage, I activate my face down called Damage Gate which allows me to special summon Infernity Beetle (Attack 1200/ Defense 0) in attack mode since it has equal or less attack points than the damage I took," Kalin continued.

"Speed Warrior, attack Infernity Beetle! And thanks to the second effect of Fighting Spirit, by destroying it, I can prevent Speed Warrior's destruction," I declared and the result was only Infernity Beetle getting destroyed.

Kalin drew his card. "I activate ZERO-MAX! This revives Infernity Destroyer (Attack 2300/ Defense 1000) in attack position and destroys your monsters since they have less attack than my Destroyer, but I can't conduct my battle phase this turn," he declared. "That ends my turn."

I drew my card. "I summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in attack mode. And with its effect, I can summon back Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) in defense mode with its effects negated. Now since I control a tuner monster, I can summon Boost Warrior (Attack 300/ Defense 200) from my hand in defense position. Now I tune Speed Warrior with Junk Synchron to synchro summon. Fight, Junk Warrior (Attack 2300/ Defense 1300)!" I called and my monster rose beside me. "And due to its effect, its attack increases by the attack of all level two or lower monsters that I control (Junk Warrior: Attack 2600). And now the effect of Boost Warrior kicks in, increasing all other Warrior-type monsters' attacks by 300 (Junk Warrior: Attack 2900). Now, Junk Warrior, attack Infernity Destroyer!" Kalin's monster was destroyed and his life points fell to 900.

"I activate the effect of Infernity Avenger (Attack 0/ Defense 0)! Since I have no cards in my hand and an Infernity monster was destroyed, I can special summon it from the graveyard in defense mode and make its level the same as Infernity Destroyer (Infernity Avenger: Level 6)," Kalin defended.

"I end my turn," I finished.

Kalin drew his card. "I summon Infernity Dwarf (Attack 800/ Defense 500) in attack mode. Now I tune Infernity Dwarf with Infernity Avenger to synchro summon. Bring your might, Infernity Doom Dragon (Attack 3000/ Defense 2400)!" he called. "Now I activate the effect of Infernity Doom Dragon. This destroys your Junk Warrior and inflicts half of its attack as damage to you, however my dragon can't attack this turn." My life points dropped to 350. "I end my turn there."

I drew my card. "I destroy my set Limiter Break in order to special summon Card Breaker (Attack 100/ Defense 900) in attack mode. And since Limiter Break was sent to the graveyard, its effect activates, allowing me to special summon Speed Warrior from my hand in attack mode. Now I tribute Speed Warrior to special summon Turret Warrior (Attack 1200/ Defense 2000) in attack mode. And due to the effect of Turret Warrior, its attack is increased by the original attack of Speed Warrior (Turret Warrior: Attack 2100). Now I tune Card Breaker and Turret Warrior with Boost Warrior in order to synchro summon. Take flight, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)! I then end my turn with one face down."

"I'm up then," Kalin stated drawing his card. "I set a card. Infernity Doom Dragon, attack Stardust Dragon!"

"I activate Power Frame to negate the attack and equip it to Stardust Dragon, increasing my dragon's attack by the different between it and your dragon's attack (Stardust Dragon: Attack 3000)," I defended.

"I end my turn," Kalin finished.

I drew my card. "Kalin, why are you doing this?" I asked him.

"When I let myself go off the deep end, I didn't care who I hurt or what I did. I became dark and cruel. I need to pay for those mistakes," he answered.

"No, Kalin. You already took back those mistakes. No one hates you or blames you for what you did," I retorted. "You don't need to punish yourself like this. You have light in you. You're not who you were back then anymore."

"I…" Kalin stopped.

I sighed. "Stardust Dragon, attack Infernity Doom Dragon!" I ordered.

"I activate Infernity Break! This removes from play Infernity Dwarf from my graveyard and destroyed your Power Frame (Stardust Dragon: Attack 2500)," Kalin defended.

"I tribute Second Booster in order to increase the attack of Stardust Dragon by 1500 (Stardust Dragon: Attack 4000)," I fought. Stardust destroyed my opponent's dragon and his life points. "Kalin, you don't need to punish yourself for back then. You aren't that person anymore, so don't act like you are."

"Yusei…" Kalin muttered.

Suddenly, though, a man on a large duel runner launched into the area and a man jumped off it. He glanced at the sun while Radley exclaimed, "Lawton!"

"Well, seems like it isn't too late for me to duel," the man, now known to me as Lawton, stated.

' _And it'll be the last duel to send someone to the mines ever,'_ I thought.

"I'll wipe that smirk off your face, Lawton," Radley stated while they each quickly drew.

Lawton got the first turn and drew his card. "I summon Gatling Ogre (Attack 800/ Defense 800) in attack mode and set five face downs. Next I activate my Ogre's effect. By sending all five of my set spell and trap cards to the graveyard, I can inflict 800 points of damage at you for every spell and trap sent away," he declared and in that one move, Radley was defeated.

There was the sound of a shot and Jayla suddenly slammed down in front of me, a wing that was glowing silver shielding the two of us and ricocheting the electrocuting bullet from me to another team member. Everyone but me went wide eyed, including Barbara.

"You really thought you could backstab us, Barbara?" Jayla asked as he lowered her wing and the woman glared. "I knew you were going to do this at some point and I was waiting for it to happen. So, try again, I dare you." She didn't move.

"What are you?" Malcolm asked. Suddenly, we heard a hoard of voices coming our way and turned to see the miners walking in without their collars. "What?! How did…?!"

"Jayla and I planned this," I told them. Jayla grinned obviously pleased with her work as the miners came around them. "We knew you were going to backstab me, but we also wanted to free the miners out of being slaves and wanted to help Kalin. So I dealt with Kalin and you guys while Jayla went and freed the miners with her powers. Once she was done there, she would come back to make sure you wouldn't be able to pull anything."

"I…" Lawton stopped.

"How does she have any powers to do something like that?" Barbara asked.

"I'm not completely human," Jayla stated shocking them. She looked at Kalin. "You know that you are better than you let yourself believe now, right?" He slowly nodded. "Then use that knowledge to help this town get better."

The girl and boy hurried up to their father who asked Kalin for his help to create a better town. Kalin agreed in an instant.

"You…" Lawton growled.

"We only do what's right," I told them. "And sending people to the mines to be slaves is wrong to do on every level there is. Everyone here is afraid to be sent to the mines, but if we get rid of that fear by not having anyone sent there, you would be surprised how much better this town could get." They all nodded in agreement, save Radley, Malcolm, Barbara, and Lawton who were seething in anger. I looked at Jayla. "Let's get back home."

She nodded but turned to the town for a second. "Be sure to make this town into what it's supposed to be," she told them and they nodded in agreement, the miners saying thank you. We then walked to our hidden duel runners and drove off from there.


	33. Secret in the Card

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 33**

 **Secret in the Card**

Jayla's POV

Yusei, Bruno, and I were at the Sector Security Headquarters with Trudge and Mina. We were talking about Primo from before. Though I didn't say anything in depth as to what happened, I did say, "While I was taken by that one man, I did overhear him mentioned something about a Ghost army."

"A Ghost army?" Mina repeated.

"Are you sure you heard that right?" Trudge asked.

"I wish I wasn't," I answered. "Whether we want it or not, something big is coming. And it isn't something good."

"We'll be ready for it," Trudge stated.

' _I hope,'_ I thought. Yusei subtly squeezed my hand in reassurance. I looked at him a bit confused.

"We'll be fine, Keeo. Don't worry," he assured quietly while Bruno spoke to Trudge and Mina about something else.

"I'm… just really worried about what else this Primo guy can do,"I admitted.

"You can't stay afraid of them forever. I'll help you move passed them as I always will be, but you're the one who has to make the final decision to let him go," he told me gently. I gave a nearly imperceptible nod, one that I knew only he would be able to see.

We turned though as another officer came in and Trudge asked, "What is it?"

"There is a report that there is a time bomb inside the building," the officer information.

Yusei and I glanced at each other suspiciously. Something didn't seem right. While Trudge and Mina called for an evacuation, Yusei asked me, "Do you sense any energy like from a bomb?"

"No," I answered.

Trudge ordered the three of us out. But just as we went to exit the area, I noticed Sherry run in the building. I immediately turned around and ran after her.

"Jayla!" Yusei called but I followed Sherry.

I did noticed Bruno and Yusei follow me. I noticed Sherry go through a door to the central computer terminal and Elsworth begin to shut the door. I slipped through along with Bruno but Yusei was locked on the other side.

Yusei's POV

Elsworth began to wire his duel disk to the door. My heart raced in automatic worry that Jayla was out of my sight. I didn't want anything to happen to her or risk anything. But I couldn't go through the door with Elsworth there.

Once Elsworth's duel disk was fully wired to the door, he stated, "It is now impossible for the door to be unlocked unless I am defeated in a duel. If you want to get to Mistress Sherry and your friends, you will have to face me."

"Fine," I agreed and we began the duel.

Elsworth went first and drew his card, "I summon Spirit Summit Warrior (Attack 1200/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Now since Spirit Summit Warrior was successfully normal summon, its effect activates, allowing me to summon Liberated Rear Warrior (Attack 0/ Defense 1200) from my hand in attack mode as it is a level three or below warrior type monster. Now I tune Spirit Summon Warrior with Liberated Rear Warrior in order to synchro summon. Come forth, Driven Daredevil (Attack 2400/ Defense 2100)! I end my turn with two face downs."

I drew my card. "By sending Quillbolt Hedgehog from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon Quickdraw Synchron (Attack 700/ Defense 1400) form my hand in attack mode. Now since I have a tuner monster on my field, I can special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog (Attack 800/ Defense 800) straight from my graveyard in attack mode. I then tune Quillbolt Hedgehog with Quickdraw Synchron in order to do my own synchro summoning. I summon forth, Nitro Warrior (Attack 2800/ Defense 1800)! Nitro Warrior, attack Driven Daredevil!" Due to Elsworth's monster's effect, it wasn't destroyed but Elsworth's life points still took the hit dropping him to 3600 life points.

"I activate the second effect of Driven Daredevil! This destroys your Nitro Warrior," Elsworth fought. "And then I activate Master and Servant's Resolve! Since your monster was destroyed by a monster's effect during the battle phase, you're dealt damage equal to the attack of your Nitro Warrior!" My life points instantly dropped to a mere 1200.

"I summon Tricular (Attack 300/ Defense 300) in defense mode and set one face down. That ends my turn," I finished. "What're you and Sherry doing?"

"I am here to help Mistress Sherry eliminate all her enemies, regardless of my cost to myself," Elsworth answered.

"Why are you so devoted to supporting Sherry and her mission?" I asked the man.

"I do not have to answer that," Elsworth refused.

Jayla's POV

Bruno and I followed Sherry into a room where she began an analysis of a card.

"Sherry, what're you doing?" I asked.

Sherry looked at us but reached to grab Bruno. But the amnesic man dodged the French girl, saying, "We don't want to fight you."

"I need to analyze this card," Sherry said. I looked at it confused.

"Why?" I asked.

"I need to determine the motive behind my parents' murder," she answered.

Sherry went to unleash a lethal attack on Bruno, but my friend's eyes glowed red and he deflected the attack, throwing Sherry across the room with ease. The girl landed, ready to fight more, but Bruno seized Sherry by the neck.

He was about the punch her, but I grabbed his fist and yelled, "Bruno, stop!"

Bruno stopped and I knew it was only because he noticed the card. He grabbed it and Sherry exclaimed, "Give it back! It has the truth I've been searching for!"

At these words, Bruno returned to normal and he released Sherry. "What happened?" he muttered.

I looked over him. "Something weird and dark took hold of you for a second. I'm not sure what it was, but it made you not you," I told him. I looked at Sherry. "Sorry about Bruno. I'll explain everything while I help you find out as much as I can about your card."

Sherry looked at me shocked. "You would really help me?" she asked. "But I broke into the headquarters."

I gave her a soft, comforting smile. "It's the least I can do. One, it is as a compensation for Bruno's actions. I'm sure he'll help, too. Plus, and more importantly, I don't want the people who murdered your parents to get away with what they've done either," I told her and her eyes widened. "No one should get away with murder, Sherry." I then thought, _'Though it was probably that man who kill her parents and want to remake the world.'_

Sherry nodded and we got to work. And as I subtly suggested to Bruno, he helped as well.

Yusei's POV

It was Elsworth's turn and I was getting more and more worried about Jayla by the second. I didn't like her not with me while her last thoughts were filled with worry and fear.

Sherry had told me when we first met that it was a group called Yliaster who killed her parents and I knew that Primo was part of Yliaster, which if Jayla found out, she would be worried about. But my mind was soon taken off Jayla when the man in front of me continued the duel.

Elsworth drew his card to begin his turn. "Now due to it being my standby phase, I will take 1000 points of damage to keep Master and Servant's Resolve on the field," he declared and his life points fell to 2600. "Driven Daredevil, attack Tricular!"

The attack destroyed my monster, but I defended myself, "I activate Tricular's effect to special summon Bicular (Attack 200/ Defense 200) from my deck in defense mode."

"I activate Reversal Sword! This destroys your Bicular and inflicts damage to both of us equal to its attack," Elsworth fought and I watched as my monster was destroyed and my life points drop to 1000 while his dropped to 2400. "I set a face down and end my turn."

I drew my card. "I summon Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000) in attack mode. And now since Debris Dragon was successfully summoned, I can activate its first effect to summon back Tricular (Attack 300/ Defense 300) from my graveyard in attack position with its effects negated. And since I normal summoned a monster, I can special summon Turbo Booster (Attack 0/ Defense 0) from my hand in attack position," I declared. "Now I tune my Turbo Booster and Tricular with Debris Dragon in order to synchro summon. Take flight, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)! Stardust Dragon, attack Driven Daredevil!"

"I activate Standoff!" Elsworth fought. "And due to the first effect of my Daredevil, it isn't destroyed while dragon is." But his life points still fell to 2300.

"I activate Stardust Dragon's ability to negate the effect of Driven Daredevil and destroy it by tributing Stardust Dragon," I tried but it didn't happen confusing me.

"With Standoff in play, both players cannot tribute monsters on the field," Elsworth explained.

"Well, I activate Space Jump! By removing Stardust Dragon from play, I can inflict damage to you equal to its attack," I fought and the assault succeeded and Elsworth's life point fell to zero.

The door was unlocked and Elsworth and I walked into the room where Bruno, Sherry, and Jayla were finishing an analysis on a card. I gave a subtle sigh of relief knowing Jayla was alright… and calm.

"That's strange," Jayla stated. "There's nothing strange about the card." But more surprising, the terminal surges a storm of energy and I ran to them only as we were enveloped in a burst of light.

Jayla, Bruno, Sherry, and I looked at each other and our surroundings that looked like a cyber plane. My girlfriend looked at me, and I mouthed, "Know anything?" She shook her head. We turned back to the plane area.

But we all noticed a strange mechanical object with an eye staring right at us. I recognized it from when I achieved my accel synchro summon. We stared at it but a high pitched frequency and light scanned us. The sound made Jayla and I cover our ears in pain while the other two fell unconscious. I could also feel like I was about to fall unconscious when I felt some sort of protection come over my mind.

"W-What is that?" Jayla asked.

"Strange," said a deep voice that had a slight echo, while the noise stopped obviously making Jayla and I relieved. We looked as Bruno and Sherry flashed out. "Your minds and your body are different. Very strange, indeed."

"Who are you?" I asked it.

"You will find out eventually," the being answered. "Do not worry about that."

Suddenly the sound came out again, only much louder and higher pitched. Jayla and I covered our ears, trying to block it out, but it wasn't long until we fell unconscious as well.

. . .

I woke back up to see Jayla waking up beside me along with Bruno. Though, Sherry was still rendered unconscious. We looked around. We were back in our world but we were far from the Sector Security Headquarters. Elsworth came up.

"There you are, Mistress Sherry," Elsworth stated. He looked at me. "I owe you a debt for not turning us in to Security, Yusei, Jayla." Elsworth then picked up Sherry and drove off.

"What… just happened?" Bruno asked.

"I don't know," Jayla answered. "But that being in that machine…"

"I know. I want to know who he is and what is going on there," I stated.

"Did you talk to that thing?" Bruno asked. "I only saw it for a few seconds before I was knocked out by some sound."

"Even as a _former_ Dragon Protector, my mind and body are still similar to being a Dragon Protector. As such and if it wasn't obvious enough, my mind is more thoroughly protected to high frequency sounds and things like that, but it can hurt a lot more," my former Dragon Protector explained. "And I may have helped Yusei with it as well. But this also meant we were able to stay conscious for a bit longer. In that time, the man inside just said that our minds and my body were different, which was strange to him, And then said we would find out who he is eventually before sending out the sound again only a lot worse and knocking us out."

"It was unusual, to say the least," I added.

"I bet," Bruno agreed.

"Come on, we need to head back to Headquarters so we can grab out runners," I stated. They nodded and we began our trek to the Sector Security HQ.


	34. Team of Beasts

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 34**

 **Team of Beasts**

Jayla's POV

The next day, Yusei, Wing, Jack, Crow, Akiza, Bruno, and I were in the garage making sure the improved duel runners would be okay.

"Think they'll be good to go?" I asked.

"We'll be practicing running them tomorrow. We'll be able to tell then," Yusei replied.

Suddenly, the door burst open and we turned to see Leo and Luna running in. "We heard the duel runners are finished," Luna stated.

"Are they good to go?" Leo asked.

"Should be," Yusei answered.

"Nice new outfits, guys," Leo complimented seeing the outfit Jack, Crow, and Yusei were wearing.

"Thanks," Yusei responded.

"It's a bit uncomfortable, in my opinion," Jack stated. "I'm used to wearing my old clothes."

"Don't say stupid things like that. You're wearing the same clothes you always have!" Crow retorted.

"No fighting," I stated sternly making the fight cease before it began. Wing just sighed in his own annoyance.

Luna looked at the name on the suits. "5D's?" she questioned. "Is that the team name?"

"Yeah," Crow answered. "Jack chose the name himself."

"Crow suggested it. It's better than using some other common name," Jack retorted.

"What does '5D's' even mean?" Leo asked.

"It means there are five D's. Like devil, destroy, dead hit, dark, daisuki Bruno," Bruno listed off but stopped as Jack hit him on the head.

"It starts with this," Jack stated and showed his mark.

"The five marks of the Crimson Dragon?" Luna asked.

Yusei nodded. "Our bonds were called together by the previous Crimson Dragon," he explained. He looked at the former and current Dragon Protectors. "Even Jayla and Wing. They're just as much connected to us through the Crimson Dragon as us." I grinned a bit in thanks.

"And even though I don't have a mark, Luna and I came to know everyone because of Luna's mark," Leo commented.

"You two are part of the team too," Jack stated shocking them.

"My name isn't there. Maybe we should call the team 'Bruno and 5D's'," Bruno suggested prompting Jack to hit Bruno on the head again.

I sighed. "Jack, stop hitting him," I ordered calmly.

"I think it's a good name," Akiza stated. We all put our hands together, including Wing, and Yusei grinned at me.

"From today onwards we are Team 5D's," he stated.

. . .

The next day, I stood with everyone at the stadium to check the preliminary match-ups for the World Racing Grand Prix.

"Are the preliminary round like a league?" Luna asked.

"There are thirty-two participating teams in total," I explained. "And they're divided into blocks."

"Is the first team we face Team Unicorn?" Leo asked. "They're the guys we met at the opening ceremony."

"Team Unicorn won the Atlantis Tournament and are rumored to be strong candidates to win this one," Yusei remarked.

Leo sighed. "It would have been nicer to not have to face opponents like that in the same block," he stated.

"Candidates to win or not, we'll defeat whoever stands in our way," Jack cut in.

"If we're aiming for victory, we'll have to face strong opponents sooner or later," Yusei agreed.

"Exactly," I agreed. "There would be no way to avoid it."

"This just means that time came sooner," Crow commented calmly.

"I guess that is true, but…" Leo began but was cut off by Bruno.

"Yusei, it's almost practice time," he told the leader of the team. Yusei nodded and he, Jack, and Crow departed for practice. Wing had turned invisible before arriving and stuck by Crow.

"What did they mean by practice?" Luna asked me.

"It's just a practice run," I explained to them. "Testing the duel runners."

"Why don't we watch from the stands?" Akiza suggested.

We all agreed and walked towards the stands. We near the circuit and a mechanical voice called for the lane to be used by Team 5D's for practice and asked for other teams to leave. We walked a bit farther when we spotted Trudge at the bottom of the stand at the opposite side of the wall. We walked down and greeted him respectfully.

"Did you guys come to support Yusei, Jack, and Crow?" Trudge asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Why are you here in your Security uniform?" Leo asked.

"See the lanes?" Trudge replied and we looked at them. "Teams are using them for practice and rotate as time passes. Since they're not using auto-pilot, I'm here in case there is an accident."

"Here they come!" Akiza alerted us and we turned as Yusei and the others came out.

They rode passed us, giving us a wave. I gave a small wave back and Yusei smirked. _'He really does enjoy riding duel runners,'_ I thought. _'Much like me.'_

Inside the lane, I heard Yusei say to the others, "The performance of the duel runners have upgraded well."

"Yeah," Jack agreed.

"Now that it can go this fast, I'm going to win the tournament for Pearson and Bolton," Crow stated and I grinned in approval. "Why don't we test the speed?"

"Practice time for Team 5D's is now over. Please leave the lane," the voice called.

"The other team is probably not even at the lane," Crow stated and sped up.

"Crow, wait!" Yusei called as he and Jack stopped off to the side.

I grew alert as I heard the motor of another duel runner coming from the course entrance. Suddenly, another turbo duelist entered the course as expected. Crow didn't have enough time to stop and ended up crashing along with the other duelist. Wing, without turning visible, saved Crow from most of the fall and softened his landing as much as possible.

I ran up as Crow and the man stood up. Yusei and the others were quickly by me. "Are you guys okay?" I asked.

"I am," Crow answered.

"I'm fine," the other duelist followed. The other two teammates from the man's team came out. The seeming leader came up and I recognized him as Andre.

"Good to see you again," he told me.

I noticed Yusei struggling not to glare protectively at the man again. "It's nice to see you again, too, Andre," I responded to try to cool down the subtle heat that was forming. "So you're the team who's practicing next? You make up Team Unicorn, right?"

"That's right," he answered. "This is my team, Jean and Breo." We each gave a nod of respect, though I felt Yusei subtly grab my hand again and I looked at him for a quick moment.

"Were you trying to sabotage us?!" Jean yelled at Crow, angry.

"Calm down, Jean. Everything's okay," Andre tried to calm his teammate, which worked.

"Is there something we could do to make up for this?" Yusei asked.

"How about a duel?" Andre suggested.

"Fine with me," Yusei accepted. They each got on their runners. They activated Speed World 2 and took off like a bullet.


	35. More Than Just a Practice Duel

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 35**

 **More Than Just a Practice Duel**

Jayla's POV

As the duel began, I heard Jean and Breo talking on their side of the track. "We need to watch Yusei duel," Jean stated.

"Yeah, I've heard Yusei's good. If we can learn how he duels, we can beat him," Breo stated.

I was standing with the others on the other side, but looked at the two as I heard what they said. Wing seemed to hear them, too, and was watching them just as I was. They looked in my direction, feeling our stare though I was the only visible one watching them.

I turned back to the duel followed by the other two. Yusei took the first turn and drew his card. "I summon Max Warrior (Attack 1800/ Defense 800) in attack mode," he declared. "That ends my turn."

Andre drew his card. "I summon Playful Possum (Attack 800/ Defense 600) in attack mode. And since you control a monster whose attack is higher than the attack of Playful Possum, I activate its effect to destroy itself. And now since a beast type monster I control was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can pay 1000 life points to special summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest (Attack 2600/ Defense 1800)," he declared and his monster appeared as his life points fell to 3000. "Green Baboon, attack Max Warrior!" The attack succeeded and Yusei's life points fell to 3200. "I set two face downs and end my turn."

Yusei drew his card. "I activate the Speed Spell- Angel Baton! This allows me to draw two cards as long as I send one card from my hand to the graveyard. Then I activate another Speed Spell- Angel Baton. And now I normal summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in attack mode and activate its effect. This allows me to special summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) from my graveyard in defense mode with its effects negated. And since I control a tuner monster, I can special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog (Attack 800/ Defense 800) straight from my graveyard in attack mode. I now tune my Speed Warrior and Quillbolt Hedgehog with Junk Synchron in order to summon Junk Archer (Attack 2300/ Defense 2000)!" And since Quillbolt Hedgehog was removed from the field, it was removed from play as well. "Now I activate the effect of Junk Archer to remove your Green Baboon from play until the end phase." Junk Archer fired an arrow at the giant baboon and it hit the monster, making it disappear from view. "Now, Junk Archer, attack Andre directly!"

"I activate Battle Instinct! This allows me to special summon Nimble Momonga (Attack 1000/ Defense 100) from my hand in attack mode," Andre fought. The attack continued and Andre's monster was destroyed, dropping Andre's life points to 1700. "And now since Nimble Momonga was destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, its effect activates, increasing my life points by 1000," His life points shot back up to 2700, "and allow me to special summon two more Nimble Momongas from my deck in defense mode."

"I set a face down and end my turn," Yusei finished. And due to it being the end phase, Andre's powerful monster returned to the field.

Andre drew his card. "I activate the second effect of Playful Possum to revive itself (Attack 800/ Defense 600) in attack mode. Then I tribute Playful Possum and one Nimble Momonga in order to tribute summon Behemoth the King of All Animals (Attack 2700/ Defense 1500)!" he declared and his monster rose up onto the field. "And now since Behemoth was tribute summoned, its effect activates, allowing me to return the two Nimble Momongas in my graveyard to my hand. And next I switch the Nimble Momonga that is on my field to attack mode. Green Baboon, attack Junk Archer!"

"I activate Chain Arrow!" Yusei defended. "This increases the attack of Junk Archer by 500 during the damage calculation only (Junk Archer: Attack 2800)." His monster destroyed Andre's, dropping Andre's life points to 2500. While since it was now after the damage calculation, the attack of Junk Archer returns to its original 2300 attack points. "And now I activate the second effect of Chain Arrow, reducing the attack of your Behemoth by 1000 (Behemoth the King of All Animals: Attack 1700) until the end phase."

"I activate Beast Burial Ritual to destroy my Nimble Momonga and draw two cards; however, I can use the drawn cards this turn," Andre played. "And then I activate the effect of Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest! By paying another 1000 life points, I can special summon it from my graveyard in attack mode." His life points dropped to 1500 while his monster did return as said with a full 2600 attack points. "Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, attack his Junk Archer!" The attack succeeded and Junk Archer was destroyed while Yusei's life points fell to 2900. "Behemoth the King of All Animals, attack him directly!" The attack hit and Yusei's life points fell to 1200. "I set one card and end my turn." And due to it being the end phase, the second effect of Chain Arrow expired, returning Behemoth to a full 2700 attack points.

Yusei drew his card to begin his turn. "I summon Shield Wing (Attack 0/ Defense 900) in defense mode and set two face downs. That's all for now," he declared.

Andre drew his card. "I summon a Nimble Momonga (Attack 1000/ Defense 100) in attack mode. I send the Nimble Momonga in my hand to the graveyard to special summon Egotistical Ape (Attack 1200/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. And now I activate the effect of Egotistical Ape to increase its level by the level of Nimble Momonga (Egotistical Ape: Level 7)," he declared.

"I activate Shield Coat! This doubles the defense of Shield Wing (Shield Wing: Defense 1800), though on my second standby phase, Shield Coat will be destroyed," Yusei defended.

"Well I tune Nimble Momonga with Egotistical Ape in order to synchro summon Naturia Leodrake (Attack 3000/ Defense 1800)!" Andre declared and his monster appeared next to him. "Green Baboon and Behemoth, attack Shield Wing!"

"Well due to Shield Wing's effect, it can't be destroyed by battle for two times this turn," Yusei informed.

"Well, I still have one more monster to play. Naturia Leodrake, attack Shield Wing one more time!" Andre ordered. The attack hit and was able to destroy Yusei's only monster. "Now I activate Howl of the Wind! This inflicts 300 points of damage to you for every beast type monster I control!" Yusei's life points dropped to a mere 300 as the assault hit. "I set one face down and end my turn."

Yusei drew his card. "I summon Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000) in attack mode and use its effect to revive Shield Wing in attack mode with its effects negated. Now I activate the Speed Spell- Vision Wind to revive Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) in attack mode. Now I tune Shield Wing and Speed Warrior with Debris Dragon to synchro summon. Take flight, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" he declared and his dragon flew up beside him proud and tall. "Stardust Dragon, attack Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest!"

"You're just destroying yourself, Yusei," Andre stated.

"Not quite. I activate Synchro Strike! This increases the attack of Stardust Dragon by 500 for each synchro material monster that was used to summon it until the end phase. So that means it is gaining a total of 1500 extra attack points (Stardust Dragon: Attack 4000)," Yusei fought. The attack hit and Green Baboon was destroyed while Andre's life points fell to 100. "Now I activate Speed World 2's effect. By removing four speed counters, I can inflict 800 points of damage to you for each Speed Spell in my hand. Like my Speed Spell- Final Attack."

But just as the effect of Speed World 2 is about to resolve, the mechanical voice called that Team Unicorn's practice time was over, stopping the duel.

Yusei pulled over by the others. The opposing team came up. "Nice duel, Yusei. Can't wait to see how you duel in the tournament," Andre stated holding out a hand.

"Same," Yusei agreed and they gripped hands.

Andre looked at me and gave me a quick smile while the other two just watched me suspiciously. "We'll meet again in the tournament, Andre," I told him. "I'm sure of it."

"Well, we better go before the other team shows up," he stated. "See ya." They walked off with that.

"Yusei, Andre was just dueling you so his team could figure out how to beat you,"I whispered to him.

"I figured as much,"he responded.

"You did?"I questioned.

"Considering how closely and how much they were watching me during the duel, it was pretty obvious,"he explained. I nodded in acceptance. He then said to the others who seemed a bit confused, "We should better get back to the garage, too."

They nodded and they all left. We each got on our duel runners, with Leo and Luna riding behind Akiza and I, and took off.


	36. Casualty- Part 1

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 36**

 **Casualty- Part 1**

Third Person POV

 _Crow was driving down the highway at breakneck speeds, testing out his runner. He turned a corner when something came in front of him. The bird named man yanked to stop his acceleration, but his duel runner's wheels began to jam and he rammed into the figure._

 _Crow was sent flying down the highway. When he finally came to a stop…_

 _. . . ._

Jayla snapped up in the bed she shared with Yusei, sweating a bit. She looked down a bit in thought, _'That was a warning. Whether it was from the Crimson Dragon or Earthbound Immortals, I don't know. I need to figure it out fast. But when is it going to happen? And what happens to Crow after the crash? No, Wing won't let him get hurt in the crash. He can't.'_

Yusei sat up and looked at his girlfriend with worried eyed. "Jayla?" he called. She was too busy going through her thoughts that she didn't even seem to hear him. As such, Yusei placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her to him. That finally caught the former Dragon Protector's attention and she looked at him shocked. "Jayla, what's wrong?"

"Just… a nightmare," she replied.

"What was it about this time?" Yusei asked.

"I… I saw Crow and he crashed into something and…" she trailed off.

"Was he on the highway or something?" the Head Signer asked her. He was concerned about Crow crashing in general.

"Yeah," Jayla answered. "But, Yusei, I feel like it was a warning. That it was going to happen… soon."

"Who would warn you about that? And why?" Yusei asked.

"I'm not sure who would warn me. And I don't know wh…" she stopped in realization.

"What is it, Jayla? Come on, talk to me," Yusei pressed a bit worried.

"We need to find Crow and Wing," she stated urgently.

"Jayla, what's going on?" Yusei pressed again more sternly. "Why has this gotten so urgent all of a sudden?"

"It was warning me that Wing is going to either get seriously hurt or die," Jayla told him and that worried Yusei to no end. He knew how much Jack was still torn up about Arch. It wasn't as bad as with Yusei when Jayla died, but it was still bad. And if Wing died, he didn't want to know what would happen with Crow.

Without any other questions, the two stood up, got dressed, and walked out. They found Bruno making eggs. "Hey, Bruno," Yusei greeted. Bruno nodded back in response. "Have you seen Crow and Wing at all?"

"Last time I saw him, he was heading out to the highway. He seemed really excited," the amnesic man answered.

"We'll be back, Bruno. We need to check up on something," Yusei responded. "Let Jack know for us."

"Will do," Bruno agreed before Yusei and Jayla took off.

. . .

Crow was speeding down the highway, approaching a turn. _'I can do more!'_ he thought. He began to curve around the turn when a shadowy figure appeared in front of him. But just before he crashed into the figure, he did notice something.

The collision sent the bird named man and his duel runner flying into the air, out of control. Crow went flying down the highway.

"Master!" came Wing's call. He was about to hit the concrete at when he felt Wing came under him and wrap a protective bubble around him. But Crow knew Wing wasn't in this bubble.

Crow slid to a stop, with Wing going a few more yards, and sat up as the bubble disappeared. The Signer flipped to Wing and saw him laying on his stomach on the concrete, badly injured and bleeding. "Wing!" Crow exclaimed. He moved to get up when his arm shot up in pain. He looked to see his right shoulder out of place. _'Wing's more hurt at the moment,'_ he thought. He stood up and came to Wing's side.

"Master, are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Wing," Crow responded, lying a bit. But he was being sure to not let any hints of his shoulder reach Wing's knowledge. "Thanks to you. Why did you not protect yourself?"

"I only have enough energy to protect you from a blow like that," Wing answered. "And it's my job to protect you, even at the cost of my life."

"Wing, you're not going to die!" Crow retorted. He looked at Yusei and Jayla drove up. "Yusei, Jayla! Jayla, can you help Wing at all?" he desperately asked his friend.

"I'm sorry, Crow," she replied in fear and sadness. "I could've if I were still a full Dragon Protector. But I'm not anymore. I can't do anything. Believe me, I wish I could. More than anything."

"It's fine, Master," Wing told him seeming to get weaker and weaker. "If I died naturally and with your death, no one would remember me but you and the other Signers and Dragon Protectors. As long as you're okay, I'll be fine." He coughed a bit and a bit of blood came out.

"Wing! Don't do this!" Crow ordered frantically, tears beginning to show and threatening to spill. "Not now! Jack lost Arch. I'm not losing you!"

"I'm… sorry," Wing responded. "I… wish I could do that request, but… I…" The Dragon Protector released a breath and his eyes closed. But nothing followed. Crow tried everything to wake Wing up, but it was obvious that Wing was gone, and the fact that Jayla seemed to feel something hard confirmed it even more.

Crow punched the ground with his left arm in anger, tears beginning to stream down his face. "I swear… Whoever made me crash is going to pay for this. I'm going to duel in that tournament, no matter what happens."

"Crow, your shoulder-" Jayla began.

"Could you really do nothing to help him?" he cut her off.

"I'm sorry, Crow," she replied shutting her eyes tight in fear. "I… I had a nightmare of this happening last night, only waking up from it this morning." She placed her head in her hands, trying her best not to cry. "We came out here to try to help… but it was too late. I'm so sorry."

Crow was a bit shocked about how emotional she was about losing Wing. He didn't know how she was with Arch, but he had no doubt that Arch's death was worse on her. He assumed that even not being a full Dragon Protector anymore, she still had that connection to them. Even Rose who he was still ticked with for going at Jayla this entire time like that. And now the only Dragon Protector able to stay by Jayla would be Ancient. And that was before Wing's death.

"Do you know who did this?" Crow asked.

"More than anything, I wish I do," she replied seeming to get closer and closer to crying, even though neither Signer could see her face. Yusei placed a hand on her shoulder to try and help her.

"Easy, Jayla. You tried your best. This isn't your fault," Yusei tried to comfort.

Crow couldn't be mad at Jayla. Yes, she may have hurt Yusei, but that was because of Rose's words and her own fear. And now Wing was gone, she didn't need him to be mad at her. Besides, the bird named man knew Jayla had really tried and would've attempted to take Wing's place to help him if they made it in time. And he knew that if a full Dragon Protector ended up dead from this, Jayla wouldn't have even survived long enough to say anything to him or Yusei. And he knew Yusei would've been torn up even more than before if Jayla died again.

As such, Crow told her, "Yusei's right. It's not your fault." She looked at him slightly shocked. "Besides, I know if you had gotten here sooner, you would've taken Wing's place." Yusei tensed a bit, knowing how true it was. "I should appreciate you would be willing to go so far so I didn't lose Wing if you had made it in time."

They turned as Ancient and Rose flew up and landed. "What happened?" Rose asked sternly. She was watching Jayla as if she had thought Jayla had caused this.

"I got into a crash and Wing saved me from it," Crow explained. "My shoulder got hurt, but I managed to let Wing die thinking I was fine."

Rose cringed in anger. She grabbed Jayla away from Yusei and immediately pinned her to the ground glaring. "This is all happening because you were brought back!" she yelled.

Ancient immediately tried to pull Rose off of Jayla, but being older and taller than Ancient, it was a losing fight. "Get off of her, Rose! It isn't her fault!"

Rose placed a hand on Jayla's neck, glaring in fury. She changed her hand to her dragon's the slightest bit. Not enough to completely stab Jayla's neck, but to puncture it enough. Jayla cried out a bit and Yusei immediately ran over before yanking Rose off of his lover. The yank lengthened the scratch and the depth in Jayla's neck, but it didn't seem like a fatal wound.

Yusei pulled Jayla into him, glaring at Rose angrily as his girlfriend shook in pain. He looked to see her blood on his glove. Ancient managed to pin Rose on the ground, changing into her dragon form to give her more strength.

"Dammit, Rose! When are you going to realize none of this is Jayla's fault?! Arch died because of the fate goddess! Wing died because of a crash someone forced Crow into! You know if Jayla had got here in time, she would've sacrificed herself for Wing. Or are you really that frustrated at Jayla being brought back that you are blind?!" Ancient yelled at Rose.

Jack, Bruno, the twins, and Akiza hurried up to the scene. "Alright, what's going on now?" Jack asked. They looked to see Wing laying there next to a sad Crow, dead. "Wing!"

"Jayla had a dream about Wing and we had come to try and stop this from happening. We didn't come in time, though," Yusei explained sadly.

Akiza ran up to him and Jayla who still seemed to be in pain along with her unique blood dripping out from under Yusei's hand. "What happened to Jayla?" she asked. Yusei just looked at Rose who was still being pinned down by Ancient's dragon form. "Rose! What did you do this time?!"

Rose didn't reply. She glared at Ancient before turning into her dragon form as well, allowing her to break free from Ancient. The two dragons hovered across from each other, seeming ready to fight.

"Ancient, stop!" Luna called.

"Yusei, get Jayla out of here!" Crow called. "Get her to the hospital to get her neck checked out. I'll be right behind you to get my shoulder checked out next. We'll have the mechanic who'll get my duel runner take hers with it."

Yusei nodded knowing this was about to turn bad and he didn't want Jayla anywhere near this fight. He got her to his duel runner. He got on in front of her and took off.

The other six people there turned back to the sky as Rose and Ancient seemed to get ready to battle it out.

"Rose, stop!" Akiza tried. "You've done enough harm! This needs to stop!"

"Ancient, there's no need to fight like this!" Luna followed to her protector. "Both of you, calm down before this ends in another death or serious injury!" But neither Dragon Protector seemed ready to back down. "Ancient!"

"Are they really going to fight like this?" Bruno asked.

"I don't think we can stop them at this point," Jack answered. "I just hope this won't end up in another death."


	37. Casualty- Part 2

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 37**

 **Casualty- Part 2**

Third Person POV

Jack, Crow, Bruno, the twins, and Akiza looked up as the two Dragon Protectors hovered across from each other, preparing to make their move.

"I don't like this," Luna muttered. "In duel monsters, Ancient Fairy Dragon has a lower attack power than Black Rose Dragon. And I don't want to see Ancient die."

"Is it possible Rose has the Earthbound Immortals' power in her and controlling her?" Bruno asked.

"I haven't sensed it. And being connected to her like a normal, full Dragon Protector to Signer bond would be, I probably would sense it," Akiza replied.

"So whatever Rose has against Jayla is personal and Arch and Wing dying when Jayla returned only fuels it," Crow deduced.

"No offense, Akiza, but if it comes down to one of them living, I would rather it be Ancient," Jack told her.

"I somewhat understand. I've never thought Rose could get like this, but I can't stand the fact that she keeps hurting Jayla in every way she hand," Akiza responded. "As much as I want her to live, Ancient is the only Dragon Protector who we can trust to keep Jayla calm and not able to be controlled."

"Because Rose has been a big factor to Jayla being controlled each time," Jack reasoned.

"Exactly," Akiza responded. "I do care about Rose, but I'm not sure if she's going after Jayla for my safety alone anymore. I would be able to understand if it was protectiveness driving her to be so tense around her, but everything she's been doing… there's something else there. And I can't sense it or know what it is."

"Let's just hope this doesn't end in death, guys," Luna commented making them turn to her. "We don't need anymore Dragon Protectors dying. No matter what, it isn't right."

"She's right," Akiza agreed.

"Yeah," Crow followed. "Arch and Wing wouldn't want anymore Dragon Protectors dying today or ever again." They nodded and looked to the sky where Rose began to raise her thorn covered, whip-like vines.

. . .

As he drove, Yusei looked at Jayla who seemed tense and in pain. _'The Earthbound Immortals are making another move, aren't they?'_ he thought. He heard a growl and looked towards where he came from and saw Rose and Ancient getting ready to fight. _'This is getting worse and worse. I'm not sure if the Earthbound Immortals are influencing Rose at all or if they're doing something to make this in-fighting get worse and worse, but this is going to far. Ancient is defending Jayla and trying to protect her from Rose. But if Ancient dies, none of us are strong enough to protect Jayla from Rose and this unpredictable wrath against Jayla that she has. Ancient, you need to stay strong. If for anyone, for Luna and Jayla.'_

Yusei heard Jayla whimper a bit and looked at her. The blood that she was losing was getting to be too much. He knew he had to get to the hospital as fast as possible. "Listen to me, Jayla. I'm right here. Hold on just a bit longer, alright? We'll get you some medical help and I'll make sure the Earthbound Immortals don't get control of you," he told her gently.

"O-Okay…" she whispered, obviously barely able to make it out with the pain.

Yusei grabbed her hands that were locked tightly around his waist to try to comfort her. "You'll be fine, I promise," he called to her soothingly and gently. One of her hands grabbed his for reassurance that he was there.

. . .

The six onlookers watched as Rose shot her vines at Ancient. The blue dragon brought her wings out even more and light shot around the area blinding all of them. Rose immediately withdrew her vines and closed her eyes tight, trying to block out the light.

Suddenly, she cried out as Ancient flew up to her, still blinding everyone, and cut off all of vines. They fell to the ground with a hard crash. Ancient flew away and finally dimmed the lighting for everyone to see the vines slowly growing back.

"You know very well that my vines will regenerate," Rose told Ancient angrily. "You won't be able to beat me. You know that well."

Ancient growled. "All I need to do," She grabbed Rose by the neck and flung her onto the ground, "is for you into submission!" She went to slap her tail on Rose's head to knock her out but Rose barely managed to avoid it. Rose growled, getting back up to Ancient's height.

The six humans turned as Trudge and Mina ran up. "Okay, what is going on here?" Trudge asked.

"Ancient and Rose are fighting," Crow answered, standing up and holding his arm.

Mina ran up. "Crow, are you alright?" she asked.

"I would've been worse," He looked at Wing's corpse, "if it weren't for Wing."

"Oh, no," she whispered.

They flipped to the battling dragons as Ancient cried out for a second to see Rose biting her neck hard.

"Ancient!" Luna called frantically and worriedly.

The blue dragon grabbed the petaled dragon's neck tight forcing Rose to let go and threw her to the side. She was panting a bit as blood dripped down her body.

"That doesn't look good," Trudge commented. "Is Rose trying to kill her or something?"

"I don't know what's wrong with Rose, but we can't let this go on," Akiza commented getting tense. "Rose! Stop this now!" But Rose's anger and attention was fixated on Ancient. "Rose, listen to me!"

"Rose, why are you doing this? What good do you think you're going to do by killing me? Or killing Jayla?" Ancient asked her. "It is because of you that Jayla keeps getting closer and closer to being controlled with no hope of returning. Even if you kill Jayla, what good will that do for the rest of the Signers? You should know that Akiza still sees Jayla as her first true friend. How would Akiza feel if Jayla died again? And how would Akiza feel about you if you were the one that murdered Jayla?"

"If Jayla dies, no one will be at risk from her murdering them again! Akiza won't, you won't, Luna won't, no one will be hurt by her!" Rose replied. "I'll be protecting all of them from that… thing!"

"Rose! Jayla may not be a full Dragon Protector anymore, but the Crimson Dragon brought her back so all the Signers, and Yusei especially, wouldn't be so badly tormented over her death," Ancient tried. "Let's stop this fight like our mistresses want before we both end up dead!"

"I can't believe you! After everything she's done since returning, even after she nearly killed Yusei that first time and hurt him recently, you still side and protect her! If she manages to kill Yusei, she'll no doubt go after Akiza and the others next! Can't you see that?!" Rose argued.

"And can't you see that Jayla's been fighting the Earthbound Immortals every time they try to control her? And that every time they get control of her for that bit of time is because she was too weak to fight them? And those times are because of _you_ , and the weakness and fear _you_ put into her heart," Ancient retorted. "If anyone is a danger to everyone, it's you!"

Rose lunged at Ancient. She grabbed the blue dragon with her fully regenerated, thorn covered vines which wrapped around the joints of her wings and her neck. The thorns dug deep into Ancient's flesh and more blood began to spill out.

"Ancient!" Luna called fearfully.

"Rose! Stop!" Akiza tried again. "Please! You don't want to do this! I don't want to do this! Just stop! You're going to do more harm than good!"

"Listen to them, Rose! Do you really want to do this? You'll just be helping the Immortals!" Ancient tried. Two more vines sprung out and grabbed the dragon's arms and held them apart, like an execution getting ready to take place.

"Ancient! Do something!" Luna called. But it was obvious that Ancient was stuck and the overwhelming amount of blood she was losing wasn't going to help her at all.

Akiza turned to Jack. "Jack, give me your Red Dragon Archfiend! Now!" she ordered. He didn't hesitate and gave it to her. The eldest female Signer summoned it with her powers and boarded it before taking off. Red Dragon Archfiend fired at Rose who merely fired back and deflected the blast.

"Is Rose really that blinded by anger right now?" Crow wondered in shock. "If she had fired directly at Red Dragon Archfiend, she could've killed Akiza!"

Ancient was obviously beginning to black out from blood loss and Akiza knew if she did, there was only a slim chance she would be waking up again. Red Dragon Archfiend fired at the vines this time and burned them off.

Ancient immediately fell, the injuries to the wings making it so she couldn't fly and the blood loss making it all the more difficult. Red Dragon Archfiend caught the injured, blue dragon and gently set her on the ground.

Luna immediately was by Ancient's dragon head and grabbed it. "Come on, Ancient. Wake up…" she tried.

Ancient shakily tried to get up, but her arms were injured as well and couldn't support her weight. "I… I'm… fine… Mistress," she told her through raspy breaths that held the restraining sound of pain in them. She switched into her human form and it showed that the gashes from the battle were on their as they were from her dragon form. "I'm… fine."

Akiza flew back up to Rose and glared at her. "I don't know what's wrong with you, Rose, but this needs to stop. Now!"

"Jayla is a danger to all of you! If Ancient is defending her, she is just as much of a danger to you!" Rose responded. "I am protecting you!" She tried to get Ancient again, but Akiza commanding Red Dragon Archfiend to burn the vine again.

"Rose, killing Ancient and Jayla won't protect me!" Akiza tried. "Jayla is trying to protect us from herself as it is. It isn't her fault this happened to her. And it isn't Ancient's, either. Ancient is protecting Jayla because we need Jayla to protect all of us from the Meklord Emperors. We need _all_ three of you."

"Ancient?" came Luna's worried call. They looked to see Luna holding Ancient's unmoving body. "Ancient, wake up! Please!" The young Dragon Protector didn't move or show any signs of life. "Ancient!" The young Signer leaned over her Dragon Protector and tears began to stream down her face.

"Rose, look at what you've done," Akiza told her. "You killed a Dragon Protector who was just trying to do what was right! Ancient wasn't going to kill you like you were going to. She knew it would've been wrong on all levels to kill you. But you were so blind that you couldn't even see the truth and killed a fellow Dragon Protector!"

"I… I…" she stopped.

"What's happened to you, Rose?" Akiza asked. "The one I met would _never_ do this. Not for any reason."

"I…" she stopped. It was almost like she had absolutely no clue what she was doing in the first place.

"I don't know what's going on with you; but until you have all this sort out and you're back to your normal self, I don't want you near any of us. Right now, I don't trust you to keep a clear mind towards any of us," Akiza told her sternly. Rose went wide eyed in shock. "If you went at Ancient for trying to protect Jayla, how am I supposed to know you won't go at Yusei or any of us next? Jayla's not the danger here right now, Rose. It's you. So go. You can come back _only_ when you've figured out what's happened to you and how to control yourself."

"I…" Rose closed her eyes in submission. "Goodbye, Mistress." She then flew off in another direction.

The others weren't really sure what happened between Akiza and Rose, not being able to hear since they were up a good height and being focused on Luna crying form over Ancient's dead body, but they knew whatever just happened had and would continue to have a serious impact on Akiza.

All they really knew, though, is that the only Dragon Protector they had left that was trustworthy enough was Jayla. And they were certain that this wouldn't happen again.


	38. Doctor's Opinion

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 38**

 **Doctor's Opinion**

At the hospital, the others met Yusei in the hall as he came out with Jayla who had bandages on her neck. "She okay, Yusei?" Trudge asked.

"Rose gave her a good strain on her neck; but as long as she doesn't strain her neck too much until it's healed enough, she should be fine," he explained.

"How long until it's healed?" Akiza asked.

"A couple weeks," Yusei answered. They gave a small sigh in relief. "Speaking of Rose, where is she? And where is Ancient?"

As soon as he noticed Luna's tearful expression as soon as he said the final name, he knew what happened. "I'm sorry, Luna," he told her gently. She gave a small, sad nod.

' _This is my fault,'_ Jayla thought.

"Where's Rose?" Yusei asked again.

"I told her to leave us for a bit," Akiza told him, shocking him a bit. "Just until she figures out what's going on with her. But not to return until then."

"Akiza…" Yusei muttered.

"I'm sorry, Akiza," Jayla told her in a small whisper.

"It's not your fault, Jayla," the said Signer told her. "After what she did with Ancient and killing her because she was defending you, I didn't trust her not to do the same with any of us since we're trying to protect you, too. She needs a breather to figure herself out, and straightened herself out, too."

They turned as the doctor and Crow walked out, Crow wearing a shoulder cast. "He should be fine, but he shouldn't use that arm until it's fully healed," the doctor informed.

"How long will that be?" Leo asked.

"It should be fully healed within a month," the doctor answered.

"But the prelims are in three days!" Akiza exclaimed in shock and worry.

Crow began to beg the doctor to let him participate in the tournament, but the doctor refuses. The angered Crow and he moved to take his cast off, only to cry out from the pain.

"Crow!" Yusei called followed by Jack.

"Crow, stop," Jayla told him worriedly. "You'll just make it worse."

"Why? Why now? What am I going to tell the nerds?" Crow muttered as tears began to fall down his cheeks.

. . .

Jayla was listening as Jack and Yusei were discussing what they were going to do now that Crow was out of action.

Bruno came downstairs, "You'll lose life points if you continue with only two players," he stated.

"We can't afford that," Yusei responded.

"Then I'll participate," Akiza chimed in and they looked at her. "I'm a part of Team 5D's too. And I have my own duel runner." Crow began to walk out and Akiza called, "Crow, wait."

"Shut up!" Crow yelled. "You don't know how I am feeling right now!" He then walked out with that.

"Akiza, don't take anything he just said to heart. Remember, Crow loves dueling with everything he has. He had been looking forward to participating in this tournament for a while. Plus, he's a little emotional since Wing just died," Yusei told her. "He just needs time right now."

"Right," she agreed. She looked down. _'I think the main reason I offered to join the tournament so easily was to get my mind off of Rose.'_

. . .

The next day, Jack, Bruno, Jayla, and Yusei were on their duel runners searching for Crow and Akiza.

"Where are they?" Jayla wondered.

"I'm not sure," Yusei answered. "Are you sure you're okay to be looking with us at the moment?"

"I'm pretty sure, Yusei," she answered. She began to focus when she exclaimed, "Head to the practice tracks!"

Yusei nodded. "Right," he agreed. He let Bruno and Jack know what they found in terms of where the two Signers were. They were quick to arrive together and they came in to see Crow drilling Akiza, just as Akiza and Yusei were after the duel against Andre.

As Akiza passed by, she flashed Crow a thumbs up. They all turned to each other as the approaching group stopped in front of the two.

"You can really worry a person, Crow," Jayla stated with a small smile. Crow nodded with a slight smirk.


	39. First Surprises

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 39**

 **First Surprises**

Third Person POV

It was time for the first round of the World Racing Grand Prix. Jack and Andre were setting up to race each other for first turn.

Yusei stood to the side and Luna asked him quietly, "Do you have a bad feeling about this duel, too?"

Yusei nodded. "I do and I'm really worried about it."

"Should we do something about it then?" Leo asked.

Yusei shook his head. "We can't do anything at this point. We'll just have to hope for the best, though. We can't change anything that'll happen in the duel without either being disqualified or something else we don't want to happen will happen."

The twins and Delaia, who was listening, nodded slowly. "Yes, Master," they agreed.

"Not here, guys," Yusei told them gently. "There are too many faces around here we don't need to hear." They nodded in agreement before they turned for the duel.

Jack and Andre quickly took off to race for the first turn. Shocking everyone, Andre triggered an overboost system, causing an acceleration Jack couldn't match and forced him to settle for second.

Andre drew his card. "I summon Uni-Horned Familiar (Attack 0/ Defense 1000) in defense position," he declared. "I then remove from play Speed Spell- The End of the Storm from my hand in order to special summon Monoceros (Attack 1000/ Defense 1000) in defense mode. I set two face downs to end my turn."

Jack drew his card. "Since you control monsters and I don't, I can special summon Vice Dragon (Attack 2000/ Defense 2400) from my hand in attack mode with its original attack and defense halved (Vice Dragon: Attack 1000/ Defense 1200)," he declared. "Next I normal summon Dark Resonator. I now tune my two monsters together. I synchro summon, Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000)! Now Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Uni-Horned Familiar!"

"I activate Uni-Horned Familiar's effect! By removing itself and Monoceros from play, your dragon must attack," he declared.

"Well, Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Andre directly," Jack continued.

"I activate Different Dimension Barrier- Lost Force! This negates the attack and inflicts damage to you equal to the attack of Red Dragon Archfiend," Andre defended and Jack's life points fell to 1000.

"I set three face downs and end my turn," Jack finished.

Andre drew his card. "I activate Uni-Horned Familiar's effect to return it to the field in defense mode," he declared. "And next I special summon Monoceros from my removed from play zone in defense mode along with D.D. Unicorn Knight (Attack 1800/ Defense 900) in attack mode. Now I tune Monoceros with Uni-Horned Familiar to synchro summon. Run forward, Thunder Unicorn (Attack 2200/ Defense 1800)! And since Monoceros was sent to the graveyard for a synchro summon, I can special summon Uni-Horned Familiar from my graveyard in defense mode. Next up, I activate the effect of Thunder Unicorn to reduce the attack of your dragon by 500 for every monster I control except Thunder Unicorn (Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 2000). And now since I activate the effect of Thunder Unicorn, no monsters besides Thunder Unicorn can attack this turn. So, Thunder Unicorn, attack Red Dragon Archfiend!" The attack hit and destroyed Jack's monster while the Signer's life points fell to 800. "I set a card to end my turn."

Jack drew his card. "I summon Mad Archfiend (Attack 1800/ Defense 0) in attack mode. I then activate Powerful Rebirth! This revives Dark Resonator with its attack and defense increased by 100 and its level increased by 1 (Dark Resonator: Level 4/Attack 1400/ Defense 400). Then I activate Rage Resynchro to send Mad Archfiend and Dark Resonator to the graveyard and special summon Red Dragon Archfiend from my graveyard with 500 more attack (Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 3500)! Now attack Thunder Unicorn!" he ordered.

"I activate Dimension Trap! By removing from play Uni-Horned Familiar from my field and Different Dimension Barrier- Lost Force from my graveyard. I activate the effect of Different Dimension Barrier- Lost Force as the effect of Dimension Trap," Andre defended.

"I activate Overpower to negate the effect of Dimension Trap and destroy it," Jack fought. The attack continued and Thunder Unicorn was destroyed while Andre's life points fell to 2700.

"I activate Parallel Selection! This allows me to add Speed Spell- The End of the Storm from my removed from play zone to my hand and draw one card," Andre fought back.

If that wasn't enough, back in the booth, Bruno stated, "That's not good."

"What?" Yusei asked as he, Crow, and the others got closer.

"The air intake system of Jack's runner is showing signs of malfunction," Bruno explained.

Despite the fact it would mean a loss of Speed Counters, the team called for Jack to make a pit stop. But Jack refused, insisting, "I have to defeat Andre." He made a counter attack that defied Andre's defenses, but it was still seeming within Andre's plan.

"Andre isn't a power duelist," Yusei realized and they looked at him confused. "He only used a power deck before as a lure. His deck truly takes advantages of attack. By going for a contest of strength, we played into his hands." That worried all of them.

Andre drew his card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2," he declared. "By removing four speed counters, I can inflict 800 points of damage to you for each speed spell in my hand. Such as my The End of the Storm." Jack's life points fell to 0.

As per the rulings of the World Racing Grand Prix, it went to Andre's end phase and during the end phase, Red Dragon Archfiend was destroyed due to the last effect of Rage Resynchro.

Jack's duel runner activated the usual braking procedures, but a part of the mechanism burst. The vehicle spun out and broke apart. Yusei and the others were struck with worry and terror, helplessly watching Jack get thrown from the flying crash.

Yusei stepped forward, wanting to help, but quickly stopped himself just before Jack said, "Don't, Yusei. Remember, if a person helps me, we get disqualified." Still hurt, Jack picked up his duel runner and began pushing it all the way to the pit. "I won't let our dream end up in there."

Akiza was waiting. Meanwhile, the winner of the round, Andre, was allowed to keep doing laps before the new teammate was brought onto the track and as his does his speed counters increase for each lap until they reach a maximum of twelve. After that, the losing team have their speed counters decrease, and once they reach zero, that team will automatically lose.

"Akiza, get ready," Yusei told her. But as she did, Yusei noticed she was nervous. "Akiza, look at the crowd." She did so and noticed her parents watching. "Your current self isn't alone anymore." Yusei handed her a card. "Go."

"Wait, this is…" Akiza trailed off.

"Your opponent won't think of you using that card. That's where a chance lies," Yusei told her. "Now have fun with your turbo duel, Akiza."

"What fun is this?" she responded, obviously implying the plan was a reckless one. "But I will respond to your wish."

Jack arrived where Akiza was, with them only having one speed counter left. Akiza immediately sped off with him there and met up with Andre just in time.

Akiza and Andre raced for the first turn and luckily, Akiza got the first turn. After seeing this, Jack suddenly fainted and Yusei caught him, having the fastest reflexes out of all of them there. Mina, Carly and Stephanie were there and took him to the emergency room.

Yusei quickly turned back to the duel where Andre told Akiza, "Using the overboost system is starting to slow me down. Let's see how you face me."

Yusei whispered to his girlfriend beside him, "Be ready, Jayla." She nodded.

. . .

Akiza drew her card. "I'll start by summoning Phoenixian Seed (Attack 800/ Defense 0) in attack mode. "Next I send Phoenixian Seed to the graveyard to special summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis (Attack 2200/ Defense 0)!" Her monster rose from the ground in attack mode. "Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis, attack D.D. Unicorn Knight!" The attack succeeded and destroyed Andre's monster while dropping his life points down to 2300. After damage calculation, the effect of Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis activated which destroyed it. But the second effect activated, inflicting another 800 points of damage at Andre making his life points fall to 1500. "I set a card."

Jayla listened to Breo and Jean for a moment and Breo commented, "She really is going all out."

"That's because of the overwhelming disadvantage she has against Andre: the fact that our speed counters are at max, meaning Andre can activate any Speed Spell," Jean responded.

The former Dragon Protector turned back to the duel where Akiza removed Phoenixian Seed from play and revived Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis in defense mode and she thought, _'Andre can destroy my Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis with either a monster or his Speed Spell- End of the Storm so I can activate the second effect of Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis,'_ thought Akiza.

Andre drew his card. "I activate the Speed Spell- Dash Pilfer!" he declared. "This allows me to take control of your Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis until the end phase!" Akiza's monster flipped to her opponent's side of the field. "Next I normal summon Unibird (Attack 100/ Defense 600) in attack mode. And then I activate its effect! By removing itself and Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from play, I can revive Thunder Unicorn (Attack 2200/ Defense 1800) in attack position." While Akiza's only monster went to her removed from play zone, Thunder Unicorn returned to the field. "Thunder Unicorn, attack Akiza directly!" The attack hit and her life points fell to 1800. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

"Andre could have finished her by using Speed World 2's effect, but he didn't," Jean commented from their side.

"Well, that would mean fighting Yusei with zero speed counters," Breo told his teammate. "I would've done the same thing."

"I don't like this," Luna commented on Team 5Ds' side.

"I gave Akiza a secret to help her," Yusei told them.

"What is it?" Leo asked while they all turned to him.

"Just continue watching," he told them.

Akiza drew her card. "First I summon Witch of the Black Rose (Attack 1700/ Defense 1200) in attack mode and activate its effect to draw one card," she declared and drew her card. "Since I added Rose Fairy (Attack 600/ Defense 1200) from my deck to her hand with a card effect, I can special summon it from my hand in attack mode. And then I activate the Speed Spell- Angel Baton to draw two cards and send one card from my hand to the graveyard." She drew the two cards while sending Glow-Up Bulb to the graveyard. "Now I tune my Rose Fairy with Witch of the Black Rose to synchro summon. Rise up, Black Rose Dragon (Attack 2400/ Defense 1800)!" Her ace monster rose to the field, roaring out ready to battle. Andre seemed concerned by the dragon's appearance. "Then I activate my face down, Star Siphon and use it on Black Rose Dragon. This allows me to summon a Siphon Token (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode with its level the same as the level of Black Rose Dragon (Siphon Token: Level 7) and making Black Rose Dragon level one (Black Rose Dragon: Level 1). Next I send Dark Verger to the graveyard to special summon Glow-Up Bulb (Attack 100/ Defense 100) in attack mode. Now I tune Siphon Token with Glow-Up Bulb to synchro summon! Bring forth the stars, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" Jayla disappeared from her spot next to Yusei as she came to the field in her dragon form.

Andre looked at the dragon surprised as she played the card. Most of Team 5Ds looked at Yusei, also shocked with him giving Akiza his best card.

Akiza then called taking their attention back to the duel, "Black Rose Dragon, attack Thunder Unicorn!" The attack hit and destroyed Thunder Unicorn while her opponent's life points fell to 1300. "Now, Stardust Dragon, attack Andre directly and end this!"

As the attack was about to hit him, Andre defended, "I activate Dimension Equilibrium to end the battle phase, remove Black Rose Dragon from play, and revive my Thunder Unicorn in attack mode!"

"I set two face downs and end my turn," she finished.

Andre drew his card. "I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Energy to increase the attack of Thunder Unicorn by 200 for every speed counter I have until the End phase (Thunder Unicorn: Attack 4600). Thunder Unicorn, attack Stardust Dragon!" he ordered.

"I activate my face down, Half Counter! This increases Stardust Dragon's attack by half the original attack of Thunder Unicorn (Stardust Dragon: Attack 3600)!" Akiza played. Though the attack succeeded in destroying Stardust Dragon and dropping Akiza's life points to 800, she wasn't eliminated from the duel.

"I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing four speed counters, I can inflict 800 points of damage for each Speed Spell in my hand," Andre fought. He reveals his Speed Spell- The End of the Storm.

"I activate Wicked Rebirth to pay 800 life points and revive Stardust Dragon in attack mode with its effects negated!" Akiza quickly played before her life points fell to zero.

"Looks like I decreased my speed counters for nothing," Andre stated. "That was a good move."

With the end phase of Andre's turn, the effect of Speed Spell- Speed Energy expired and Thunder Unicorn's attack returned to normal.

Akiza reached the pit and said to Yusei, "Sorry that I couldn't do anything."

"That's not true," Leo and Bruno told her.

"You did fine, Akiza. Now leave the rest up to me," Yusei told her, giving her a soft, comforting grin of reassurance. He took off with that.


	40. A Dragon to be Feared

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 40**

 **A Dragon to be Feared**

Third Person POV

By the World Racing Grand Prix's rules, the field, speed counters, and the victor's life points are retained from the previous duel. Andre started with 1300 life points and eight speed counters and Yusei started with 4000 life points and five speed counters. Andre retained his field from the previous duel with Akiza and Yusei started with Stardust Dragon and Wicked Rebirth, which was equipped to Stardust Dragon, that were left by Akiza.

Yusei drew his card to begin his first turn. "I summon Max Warrior (Attack 1800/ Defense 800) in attack mode," he began. "Now Stardust Dragon, attack Thunder Unicorn!" Andre's monster was destroyed and his life points fell to 1000. "Max Warrior, attack Andre directly!"

"I activate the second effect of Thunder Unicorn (Attack 2200/ Defense 1800) to revive itself in attack position," Andre defended.

"Well, Max Warrior, attack Thunder Unicorn. And due to its effect, Max Warrior gains 400 attack during the damage step only (Max Warrior: Attack 2200)!" Yusei fought and both monsters were destroyed. "I set a face down and end my turn."

Andre drew his card. "I set two cards face down. That's all for now," he played.

Yusei drew his card. "First, I special summon Card Breaker (Attack 100/ Defense 900) by destroying your set card." It was revealed that the face down was the Speed Spell- The End of the Storm.

"I activate Magic Charge!" Andre declared. "This inflicts 2000 points of damage to both players as a Spell Card was destroyed this turn!" Yusei's life points fell to 2000 while Andre's hit zero. And due to the tournament's rules, it immediately went to Yusei's end phase and Andre passed the baton to Breo who proceeded in dueling Yusei.

"I wonder what kind of deck Breo has," Leo commented.

"Andre has won all of Team Unicorn's duels alone," Bruno pointed out. "So there's no information available on either of his teammates."

Breo drew his card. "First I summon Bicorn Re'em (Attack 800/ Defense 1600) in defense mode," he declared. "I then end my turn with two face downs."

Yusei drew his card a bit nervous. But he quickly shoved it down and out of his mind. "I summon Dash Warrior (Attack 600/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. And now since I'm entering the battle phase, the effect of Dash Warrior activates, tripling its attack until the end of the battle phase (Dash Warrior: Attack 1800)," he declared. "Dash Warrior, attack Bicorn Re'em!"

"I activate my face down, Negate Attack! This negates your attack and ends the battle phase," Breo defended and Dash Warrior's attack returned to a normal 600.

"I switch Card Breaker to defense mode and end my turn," Yusei finished.

Breo drew his card. "I summon Mine Mole (Attack 1000/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Now I tune my Mine Mole with Bicorn Re'em in order to synchro summon. Rush forward, Voltic Bicorn (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" he called. "Now since Bicorn Re'em was sent to the graveyard for a synchro summon, its effect activates, forcing you to send the top two cards of your deck to the graveyard. And now since Mine Mole was sent to the graveyard for a synchro summoning of a beast-type synchro monster, its effect allows me to draw one card." Breo drew his card. "And now I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy Voltic Bicorn. And this activates Voltic Bicorn's effect, forcing both players to send cards from the top of our decks to the graveyard equal to the level of Voltic Bicorn!" Yusei sent his cards to the graveyard along with Breo, leaving Yusei with a deck of 23 cards. "I end my turn with two face downs."

Yusei slowly drew his card. "First I activate the Speed Spell- Accelerate Draw which allows me to draw two cards from my deck!" he declared and drew his two cards decreasing his deck further. "Stardust Dragon, attack Breo directly!" The attack hit and Breo's life points fell to 1500.

"I activate my face down, Regretful Tuning to revive my Voltic Bicorn in attack mode!" Breo fought.

"I set two cards face down and end my turn," Yusei finished.

Breo drew his card. "Voltic Bicorn, attack Stardust Dragon!" he called.

"I activate Synchro Striker Unit and equip it to Stardust Dragon! This increases its attack by 1000 (Stardust Dragon: Attack 3500)," Yusei fought.

Breo called, "I activate my set Flattery! This increases the attack of Voltic Bicorrn by the difference of the original attack of your Stardust Dragon and its current attack (Voltic Bicorn: Attack 3500)." Both monsters were destroyed in the battle. "And now Voltic Bicorn's attack activates, making us send another seven cards to the graveyard." Yusei sent his cards to the graveyard along with Breo. "And next I activate Tuning Collapse! This makes you send the top eight cards from your deck to the graveyard since the number of cards equals the level of Stardust Dragon!" Yusei was now down to his last five cards.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Breo finished. Yusei drew his card. "I activate my face down, Tricolor Illusion! Now none of your monsters can attack. Also, once during each of your turns, you must reveal the top card of your deck and depending on the type of card, an effect will take place. If it's a monster, it will be added to your hand but you must place another card in your hand to the top of your deck. If it's a spell card, it will be added to your hand. If it's a trap card, you must discard it and one other card in your hand to the graveyard. You can, at any point during your main phase, send the top card on your deck to the graveyard to destroy Tricolor Illusion." Breo then thought, _'Yusei's not a person who would gamble, especially with his deck having so little cards left. So he would either destroy Tricolor Illusion with its own effect or the effect of Speed World 2, and that would allow me to activate Destruction Trigger, making him send five cards from the top of his deck to the graveyard and make him lose the duel.'_

To Breo's shock, Yusei called, "I activate the effect of Tricolor Illusion!" He revealed his card to be Junk Synchron. So he put Scrap-Iron Scarecrow from his hand to the top of his deck. "And now I summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in attack mode. Now I tune Card Breaker and Dash Warrior with Junk Synchron to synchro summon. Rise up, Junk Destroyer (Attack 2600/ Defense 2500)!" His monster rose to the field. "Now since Junk Destroyer was synchro summoned, its effect activates. This allows me to destroy your Tricolor Illusion and your face down." The two cards were destroyed, shocking the opponent of Yusei's. "Junk Destroyer, attack Breo directly!"

"I activate my face down, Damage Lance! This reduces Junk Destroyer by 1000 during damage calculation only (Junk Destroyer: Attack 1600) and inflicts 1000 points of damage to you," Breo fought. Yusei's life points fell to 1000 while the direct attack continued and Breo's life points fell to 0. And after the damage calculation, the effect of Damage Lance expired returning Junk Destroyer to a full 2600.

Yusei watched as Jean, his newest and last opponent for Team Unicorn, came up to begin his turn. He was growing nervous but was careful not to let it show as Jean drew his card. This last duel would be the riskiest and the hardest yet, he knew that well.

"I normal summon Trident Warrior (Attack 1800/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. Now its effect activates, allowing me to special summon Delta Flyer (Attack 1500/ Defense 900) from my hand in attack mode," the last Team Unicorn member declared. "And then I activate the effect of Delta Flyer to increase the level of Trident Warrior by one (Trident Warrior: Level 5). Now I tune Trident Warrior with Delta Flyer to synchro summon, Lightning Tricorn (Attack 2800/ Defense 2000). Lightning Tricorn, attack Junk Destroyer!"

"I remove Shield Warrior in my graveyard from play to prevent Junk Destroyer from being destroyed by battle this turn," Yusei fought. But damage still applied dropping Yusei's life points down to 800.

"Well now I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing four speed counters and showing you my Speed Spell- Tyrant Force in my hand, I can inflict 800 points at you," Jean played.

"I remove Damage Eater that is in my graveyard from play and remove from play one card in my hand to negate the damage I would take and increase my life points by the damage I would have taken," Yusei defended and his life points rose to 1600.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Jean finished. _'Yusei's exhausting his reserves. I just have to make Yusei run out of cards. Everything he does at this point is futile,'_ he thought.

Yusei drew his card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy Lightning Tricorn!" he declared. The monster shattered into light particles. "Junk Destroyer, attack Jean directly!"

"I activate my face down, Reanimation Wave! This halves the battle damage and revives Lightning Tricorn at the end of the damage step," Jean defended. His life points fell to 2700 and his monster returned to the field.

"I summon Sonic Chick (Attack 300/ Defense 300) in defense mode and end my turn," Yusei finished.

Jean drew his card. "I summon Rhinotaurus (Attack 1800/ Defense 600) in attack mode. Lightning Tricorn, attack Junk Destroyer!" he ordered. The attack succeeded in destroying Yusei's monster and depleting the Jedi's life points to 1400. "Rhinotaurus, attack Sonic Chick!" The attack destroyed Yusei's last remaining monster. "And now since two of your monsters were destroyed in the same battle phase, Rhinotaurus may attack twice during this battle phase. So, Rhinotaurus, attack Yusei directly!"

"I activate my face down, Harmony Crystal! By removing from play Junk Destroyer and Max Warrior, I can revive Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)," Yusei defended..

"Alright, I won't attack," Jean finished. And due to the last effect of Harmony Crystal, Jean took damage equal to half the attack of Stardust Dragon dropping him to 1450. "I set a card face down and end my turn."

Yusei drew his card. "Stardust Dragon, attack Rhinotaurus!" he ordered and Jean's monster was destroyed while his life points fell to 750.

"I activate my face down, Thousand Crisscross! This makes my life points increase to 1000 since I have less than 1000 life points," Jean defended. "And when this effect is used three times, Thousand Crisscross will be destroyed."

"I set a face down," Yusei finished. "That's all for now."

Jean drew his card. "I activate Superficial Peace! Until the end of this turn, neither player can activate spell or trap cards and no monster can be destroyed in battle," he played. "Lightning Tricorn, attack Stardust Dragon!" Yusei's dragon wasn't destroyed but his life points dropped to 1100. "And now since you took damage, I can destroy your face down and draw one card." Yusei's face down shattered while Jean drew his card as said. "I set two cards face down and end my turn.

' _With only two cards left in my deck and an opponent capable of reading my moves so easily, this doesn't seem like it'll end well,'_ Yusei thought, his nervousness beginning to show.

Meanwhile his team was becoming a frantic in worry. Suddenly, from the sidelines, a familiar voice called out, "Yusei, don't show fear in this situation!" They turned to see Jack staggering out from the hospital wing, throwing off the assistance of Carly, Stephanie, and Mina. Jack turned to the rest of his team, telling them, "Don't give up on Yusei, no matter how slim the chances are."

"Right," Akiza agreed along with the others.

They all watched as Yusei was spurred into his next draw. He noticed he got a card he needed. "First I summon Synchron Exploder (Attack 0/ Defense 700) in attack mode and activate its effect. This allows me to revive Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) from my graveyard with its effects negated. Now I tune Synchron Exploder with Junk Synchron to synchro summon, Junk Warrior (Attack 2300/ Defense 1300)!" _'Ever since I learned of that Accel Synchro summon, I have been looking for a new possibility of victory. Though I haven't found the secret of that type of summoning, I have learned an answer for this situation,"_ he thought. "I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Fusion! With it, I fuse Stardust Dragon with Junk Warrior in order to fusion summon. Fly up, Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste (Attack 3200/ Defense 2000)!" The monster rose and roared out, readying for battle. "Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste, attack Lightning Tricorn!"

Though Jean's monster was destroyed, he played, "I activate Return Damage! This negates the damage I would take and inflicts it to you equal to the battle damage I would have taken."

"Not quite. Due to the final effect of Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste, that damage is redirected at you," Yusei defended and Jean's life points fell to 600.

"Talk about a move!" Crow commented impressed.

"Yeah," Akiza agreed.

"What's up with Yusei's transformation?" Bruno muttered.

"I wasn't predicting for you to have such a monster," Jean told his opponent shocked.

Meanwhile, Jean's teammates were also surprised by the monster. "How did Yusei get that card?" Andre asked.

"No idea. We have no data on Yusei ever summoning such a monster," Breo replied.

Even through his shock, Jean continued the duel, "I activate the effect of Thousand Crisscross, returning my life points to 1000. And since Lightning Tricorn was destroyed by battle, I can activate its effect to summon Voltic Bicorn (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000) from my extra deck in attack mode."

"I set a face down and end my turn," Yusei finished.

Jean, being slightly angered, thought, _'Now I have to focus more on trying to get rid of Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste instead of focusing on trying to make Yusei run out of cards. After all, his new monster may have other effects that may turn the tables on me.'_ Jean drew his card. "Voltic Bicorn, attack Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste!"

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Yusei defended. "This negates the attack. And after this effect resolves, I can reset it." Jean's monster was shot back from its attack and Yusei's card reset itself as said since its job was done for now.

"I set a card face down and end my turn," Jean finished.

Yusei had one last card in his deck and he immediately put all his hopes on it. He drew it and looked at the card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing four speed counters, I can inflict 800 points of damage for each speed spell in my hand," he declared and revealed the Speed Spell- Overspeed, knocking Jean's life points to 200. But Thousand Crisscross activated again returning Jean to a 1000 life points before it was destroyed. "Now I activate the Speed Spell- Overspeed! By removing all my speed counters, I can add Rapid Warrior and Reflect Barrier from my graveyard to my hand, but I can't gain any speed counters for the next three turns. And now I summon Rapid Warrior (Attack 1200/ Defense 200) in attack mode. I then activate its effect! This allows it to attack directly this turn, but no other monsters can attack." Rapid Warrior goes to attack directly.

"I activate my face down, Barrier Wave! By tributing Voltic Bicorn, I can change all of your monsters to defense position," Jean defended and Yusei's monsters turned to defense mode. "And now you take damage equal to the defense of the monster that just attacked!" Yusei's life points immediately dropped to 900.

"I activate A/D Changer from my graveyard! This allows me to switch Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste to attack mode," Yusei declared. "I then end my turn with one face down."

"Will you continue to entertain me?" Jean mocked and drew his card.

"I activate my face down, Summon Tax! Until my second standby phase, if a monster is normal summoned or special summoned, the player who summoned the monster will take damage equal to half that monster's attack," Yusei played.

"I activate the Speed Spell- Tyrant Force! This prevents any of my cards from being destroyed this turn and inflicts 300 points of damage to you each time one or more of my cards are destroyed," Jean fought. "And now I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy Summon Tax."

"I can activate the first effect of Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste. By removing from play Stardust Dragon, I can grant Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste the effects of Stardust Dragon," Yusei declared. "So I activate the first effect of Stardust Dragon granted to Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste. By tributing itself, I can negate the effect of Speed World 2!" His monster disappeared. "And when it's your end phase, Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste will be revived due to Stardust Dragon's second effect granted to it."

"Well I normal summon Hypnocorn (Attack 1400/ Defense 700) in attack mode," Jean declared and the effect of Summon Tax activated dropping his life points to 300. "I activate the effect of Hypnocorn to destroy your face down!" The effect of Speed Spell- Tyrant Force activated dropping Yusei's life points to 600. "And now I activate my face down, Chain Whirlwind! This destroys your Summon Tax and face down Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." The effect of Tyrant Force activated again dropping Yusei to 300 life points, tying Jean's.

"If Jean ends his turn right now, Team Unicorn will win the duel!" the MC commented.

Jean thought, _'Should I really make Yusei lose due to having no cards in his deck? Could Yusei still have a reversal plan in this situation? If I end my turn now, it'll be a sure victory.'_ Jean looked at Yusei's set expression, making him hesitate.

To everyone's slight shock and respect, Jean launched an attack at Yusei, "Hypnocorn, attack Rapid Warrior!"

"I send Stronghold Guardian from my hand to the graveyard in order to increase the defense of Rapid Warrior by 1500 until the end phase (Rapid Warrior: Defense 1700)!" Yusei defended. The attack failed and Jean's life points fell to 0, leaving Yusei as the victor.


	41. Crashes

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 41**

 **Crashes**

Jayla's POV

The next morning, Yusei and the others return to the stadium with. We however looked over only to find that Andre and Jean had both crashed with Breo beside them in a state of shock. I looked to the side followed by Yusei and saw their opponents, Team Catastrophe standing by in silence but with grins on their faces like nothing had happened.

"Our next opponent is Team Catastrophe, right?" Jack asked. I nodded.

Yusei walked up to Breo. "Breo, what happened?" he asked as I came up to him.

"We're not sure. But we're not the only ones that Team Catastrophe has had crash. Every one of their opponents has crashed," Breo answered.

"We should probably figure this out," Yusei stated.

"I'll try to give you some of our data from their runners," Breo said. They helped Jean and Andre into the booth and Bruno started to analyze the data.

"Both runners had experienced a rapid change in functionality during their duels. Both duel runners had crashed because their rear wheels jammed," Bruno concluded.

"But what would cause the same malfunction over three times?" I asked. "It doesn't add up."

Carly came running up. "I have this tape I made of Team Unicorn's duel with Team Catastrophe. Maybe it has something," she stated.

"Why didn't you not mention this earlier?" Jack asked sternly seeming a bit angry.

"It doesn't matter. As long as we have it now," I intervened. As we watched the tape, with it slowed down just before the crashes, nobody could see anything unusual but I had a feeling it wasn't good.

"There isn't anything wrong with the duel runners," Andre commented.

"Something else is there though. Just before every crash, the same monster was on the field," Yusei noticed.

Bruno typed through a bit and located its name. "It's called Hook the Hidden Knight," he informed the group.

"Well, it's a start," I stated.

"I know you were our opponents but just be ready since you're dueling them next," Andre mentions. "We don't need another crash in this tournament." I and Yusei nodded with Jack giving a determined face.

"We need to get out there," Yusei stated.

"Right," I agreed before looking around not hearing a friend. "Wait, where's Akiza?"

Third Person POV

Akiza was on the highway working hard on practicing her skills. She passed under a bridge and was shocked as her duel runner locked up. As she was thrown from the crash, she summoned Rose Tentacles. But as its vines reached for her, she passed right through them.

' _My psychic powers aren't working!'_ she thought before she hit the pavement.

Jayla's POV

" _Jayla, you need to get to the hospital,"_ I heard Rose contact me mentally.

" _Why, Rose? What's happened? And why are you contacting me in the first place?"_ I asked.

" _Akiza got into a serious crash and is in the hospital,"_ she explained. _"I'm still not sure about you. But Akiza won't allow me to try to help her anytime soon. You're the only Dragon Protector she trusts to come near her. Just get to the hospital!"_

I groaned a bit in annoy, both out loud and mentally. The others looked at me. _"We'll be right there."_

"What's going on, Jayla?" Yusei asked. He was a bit tense as he asked, "Was Rose talking to you?"

"It's Akiza. She's in the hospital," I answered. They gave me a shocked and worried look as we took off.

"Who told you that, Jayla?" Leo asked.

I sighed. "It was Rose. She said that she found Akiza in a crash after a couple citizens called for it. She's being taken to the hospital right now," I explained. "Rose still doesn't trust me, but knows Akiza probably still doesn't want to see her at the moment."

"Did she say what caused the crash?" Yusei asked.

"No," I answered.

We arrived at the hospital just to see Akiza being rolled in. She was unconscious with a breather mask on her and was in an obvious critical state.

"Who did this?" Crow asked mad.

"I don't know," Yusei answered.

Bruno phone rang. "We have to get to the stadium. It's almost our time," he informed.

"Bruno, can you stay here and watch Akiza?" I asked. "This way you can keep us informed of her wellbeing."

"Right," he agreed. "Be careful."

"We will," Yusei agreed and everyone but Bruno ran off to duel.

. . .

As we arrived, our opponents looked at my friends' team and gave subtle shocked expressions. I had a feeling they thought Jack and Yusei wouldn't continue with Akiza hurt. And I had to admit, it made me angry that they hurt Akiza like that to try to win.

That's when I felt a familiar hand wrap around mine. I looked at it and then at Yusei. He gave me a understanding, but calming look. As if he was trying to say that it would still be okay. I gave a small nod to tell him I understood as well. He gave my hand a quick squeeze as another method of reassurance.

The MC then called for everyone's attention as he exclaimed, "Alright everyone! It's time for the next duel! We have Team Catastrophe versus Team 5D's!" The entire crowd cheered enough for Team Catastrophe but when Team 5D's was called out they went ecstatic.

"Let's get this done," Jack stated as he boarded his runner.

They took off as the duel started and Hermann took the first move having him draw his card. "I summon Hook the Hidden Knight (Attack 1600/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Then I set one face down and end my turn," he declared.

Jack drew his card. "I summon Mad Archfiend (Attack 1800/ Defense 0) in attack mode and have it attack that Hook the Hidden Knight!" he declared.

"I activate Hook the Hidden Knight's effect! This switches both battling monsters to defense mode," Hermann declared. "Then his second ability kicks in which inflicts 800 points of damage to you."

As Jack's life points drop to 3200, Hook the Hidden Knight appears from his shadow and tried to grab Jack's duel runner to make him crash. Jack managed to avoid it while everyone else in the booth was surprised by the appearance of the hook.

"Will he be alright, Jayla?" Leo asked as he and Luna looked at me.

"Yeah, he doesn't have Arch to protect him anymore if he gets into a crash," Luna added.

"He'll be fine," I answered, but I knew I was also trying to reassure myself.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," Jack declared.

"My turn!" Hermann shouted drawing his card. "I switch Hook the Hidden Knight to attack mode and summon Dark the Hidden Knight (Attack 800/ Defense 0) in attack mode," he declared. "Next I'll have Dark the Hidden Knight attack you directly thanks to its effect!" The attack was made and forced Jack's life points to 2400. "Now I'll let Hook the Hidden Knight attack your Mad Archfiend!"

"I activate Ray of Hope! When I take battle damage that is 1500 point or higher, I can halve the battle damage," Jack declared. Though Mad Archfiend was destroyed, Jack only took 900 points of damage giving him 1500 life points total. The shadow hook tried to get his duel runner again but Jack swerved to avoid it.

"I set one face down," Hermann declared.

"Draw!" Jack exclaimed. "I activate Powerful Rebirth! This lets me revive a level four or below monster from my graveyard with its level increased by one and it gains 100 attack and defense points," he declared. "And I'll summon back Mad Archfiend (Mad Archfiend: Attack 1900/ Defense 100) in attack mode! Now I summon Dark Resonator (Attack 1300/ Defense 300)! Next I activate Fiendish Chain! This allows me to target a monster you control. Its effects are negated and it can't attack and I choose Hook the Hidden Knight! Now I'll have Mad Archfiend attack Dark the Hidden Knight!" The attack was made and Dark the Hidden Knight was destroyed and knocked Hermann's life points from 4000 to 2900! I activate Urgent Tuning from my hand allowing me to tune during the battle phase. So now I tune my level three Dark Resonator and my level five Mad Archfiend to summon Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000)!" The dragon appeared on the field ready for battle. "I activate Half Seize halving Hook the Hidden Knight's attack (Hook the Hidden Knight: Attack 900). Red Dragon Archfiend, attack his Hook the Hidden Knight!" Jack ordered his dragon. Hook the Hidden Knight was destroyed with Hermann's life points dropping to 800. "Now I activate Sonic Buster allowing me to target one of my monsters, and dealing damage to you equaling half that monster's attack. I'll choose Red Dragon Archfiend for this effect." The final blow was made and Hermann's life points dropped to zero making Jack the winner for the first duelist.

As Jack made laps around gaining speed counters, Hermann passed the baton to Nicolas. He drew his card and only set a card face down before ending his turn.

Jack drew. "I send Dread Dragon from my hand to the graveyard to summon Power Giant (Attack 2200/ Defense 0) from my hand in attack mode but Power Giant's level is lowered by the level of Dread Dragon (Power Giant: Level 4)," he declared. "Now, Power Giant, attack him directly!"

"I activate Doom Ray which deals 800 points damage to both of us for every card in my hand!" Nicolas declared. "Which means we both take 4000 points of damage."

' _He wants to destroy Jack's runner with that shadow effect of Doom Ray. He doesn't realize Power Giant's effect and that he and Team Catastrophe will be taken out too by the blast,'_ I thought. _'I just hope Jack will be okay from the blast.'_

"I activate Power Giant's effect which turns the effect damage to zero until the end of the damage step," Jack retorted.

While Jack took no damage, Nicolas took it all making his life points drop to zero and destroyed Nicolas' runner due to the shadow effect of his card.

An explosion occurred due to the card. Yusei and I grew concerned it was Jack but I knew we were both completely relieved when Jack rode out of the flames carrying Nicolas. Due to Nicolas' destroyed runner, Team Catastrophe lost by default.

"That's it, everyone! Team 5D's has beaten the powerful Team Catastrophe and are moving on to the finals!" the MC exclaimed with cheers following from the entire crowd.

Jack delivered Nicolas to the other two members of Team Catastrophe before riding over to his team.

"Nice work, Jack," Yusei complimented.

Yusei, Jack, and I looked out at the sky while it began to get heavy, dark cloud cover. "Something's coming, guys," I comment as I felt a dark energy in it. "Something you won't like."


	42. More Than One

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 42**

 **More Than One**

Third Person POV

An army of Ghosts drove through the highways where duels from the World Racing Grand Prix were taking place, each in separate groups for each duel.

Some of the robots arrived where Team White Tiger was dueling against Team Lightning. They surrounded the White Tiger duelist and said, "We will join the duel."

"Duel system switching to battle royal mode," stated the computer system.

"Battle royal?" the Team Lightning repeated.

"I summon Ally Salvo! Ally Salvo, attack these two!" the Ghost ordered together and the two human duelists and sends them into a tumbling crash.

. . .

Watching the carnage from above, Primo stated, "The World Racing Grand Prix has been changed into battle royal mode. The turbo duelists' fates are at stake in these duels. If they want to live, they had better complete the Grand Design."

. . .

Back at the stadium, the MC called, "Crashes are occurring all over the highways!"

"Let's go talk to Mina and Trudge about this," Jayla suggested.

The others nodded and got onto their duel runners with the goddess behind Yusei as usual. They hurried to where Trudge, Mina, and a few Sector Security were looking over the highway.

"Trudge! Mina!" Yusei called as they stopped. The two officers turned as they ran up to them.

"What's going on?" Jayla asked.

Suddenly, a Security operator came up and said, "Sir, the highway's turbo dueling system has been changed into battle royal mode. There's a strange signal I am trying to identify."

They followed the officer who soon found the location. Shocking everyone there, it was revealed that the signal was coming from the Ghost.

"If there are more Ghosts…" Jayla trailed off. "That isn't good." They turned to see Sherry and Elsworth come up. "Nice to see you again, Sherry, Elsworth."

"You as well, Jayla," Sherry responded.

"The Ghost has appeared again," Yusei told them.

"The army of Ghosts can only mean that Yliaster is trying to destroy the tournament," Bruno stated.

"No," Jayla responded. "They're after something bigger than that. If you recall, they hosted this tournament. They wouldn't want to destroy it."

"Is one of them going rogue, then?" Yusei asked.

"I don't know," the former Dragon Protector answered. "I don't like it, though."

"Either way, we need to fight together against the Ghost army. Hopefully, we can find the one who is controlling them before we're overwhelmed by sheer numbers," Yusei suggested.

"I can handle that," Jayla stated.

"Jayla, you're not going after any one of them without me like this," Yusei denied quickly.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" she retorted before taking off into the air.

"Jayla!" Yusei called but sighed in defeat.

"You going after her, Yusei?" Crow asked.

"I'll worry about her later," he answered. "Even if I tried, I couldn't catch up to her at this point. But we can worry about that after we stop the Ghost army."

"We will help you," Sherry agreed with Elsworth nodded.

"Same here!" called Kaz's voice as he drove up.

"Be careful. In battle royal mode, anyone can attack anyone, and the Ghost seem to be using that to their advantage," Trudge stated.

"And in a duel against a Ghost, the players suffer real damage. We can't afford to take the situation lightly," Yusei added.

They nodded and took off.

. . .

As Yusei and the others headed for the highway, Jakob said, "Some of the parts of the Grand Design are lighting up."

"Completing the Circuit is so boring and troublesome," Lester commented.

"We need the Ener-D's strength for that," Jakob responded. "Even though the world doesn't understand the true power of the duel runner and its energy source. When the Circuit is finally completed, the location of a God shall be revealed."

"The Circuit itself is as big as New Domino City; When it completes itself, the city will be destroyed," Lester added.

"It is a small sacrifice on our path to save the future," Jakob responded calmly.

Suddenly, Lester exclaimed something alarming to the other Emperor. "The Ghost!" They turned to see images of it appear on the screen.

"They are the robots Primo created," Jakob recognized. "What're they doing out?" He turned back to the screen with the Ghost. _'What is Primo thinking?'_

. . .

Back at the highway, three Ghost robots were trying to defeat a female duelist.

 **(A/N: I will be numbering the Ghosts like "Ghost 1" and "Ghost 2" to make telling them apart easier. If you don't like it, I'm sorry, but don't be too harsh about it please.)**

Ghost 1 called, "Nullfier, attack her directly!"

"Swift Scarecrow, block that attack!" called Yusei's voice as his monster protected the duelist.

The Ghosts and duelist were surprised to see Yusei, Sherry, and Elsworth. "Hey, aren't you from Team 5D's?" the duelist asked Yusei.

"Drop out now. We'll deal with this," Yusei suggested.

"Thanks," she responded before dropping out from the duel.

Yusei quickly called forth Stardust Dragon, the Signer knowing that Jayla was now definitely back at his side, and defeated the Ghosts along with Sherry and Elsworth.

. . .

At another location, a Ghost attacked another duelist with Clausolas when Kaz and Jack came up. Kaz directed the damage towards him with his Battle Eater while Jack proceeded to assault the Ghost with Red Dragon Archfiend, inflicting major damage.

. . .

Primo was quick to notice four more Ghost units were defeated. "Is Yusei behind this?"

Jakob appeared over a video call and asked, "Primo, what do you think you are you doing?"

"I'm not satisfied with your methods of completing the Circuit. Instead, I am forcing duels to speed up the process," Primo explained.

"The Ghost assault will not bring out the duelists' potential, which means the Circuit can't truly be completed," Jakob countered.

Lester appeared and told Primo, "Listen to Jakob. The one who stands in your way is Yusei, and you already lost to him."

Aggravated, Primo cut the conversation. "I will show Yusei that he can't win against me," he stated. "Even if we have to break him again."

. . .

Jack and Kaz were facing four Ghost units when the robots suddenly broke off and went into other riding lanes.

"Where are they going?" Kaz wondered.

. . .

At the stadium, Mina and Trudge watched the monitor.

"That's strange," Mina commented.

"Yeah," Trudge agreed. "The Ghosts are all moving towards one sole point."

. . .

Back at the highway, Yusei defeated another robot with Stardust Dragon.

"Do you think it is over yet?" Sherry asked.

That's when they heard the multitude of Ghosts coming up behind them. Yusei answered, "No, I don't." An Infinity symbol appeared beneath the road as one of the Ghosts commenced the duel. "The Ghost just forced the duel on us. We need to be careful."

Ghost 1 went first and called, "I summon Ally of Justice Garadholg (Attack 1600/ Defense 800) in attack mode. I set two face downs and end my turn."

Elsworth went second. "I summon Spirit Summit Warrior (Attack 1200/ 0) in attack mode. Next I activate its effect to special summon Liberated Rear Warrior (Attack 0/ Defense 1200) from my hand in attack position. Now I tune Spirit Summit Warrior with Liberated Rear Warrior in order to synchro summon. Come forth, Driven Daredevil (Attack 2400/ Defense 2100)!" he called. "Driven Daredevil, attack Ally of Justice Garadholg!" The attack succeeded in destroying the monster and dropping Ghost 1's life points to 3200.

Sherry went next. "I activate the Speed Spell- Overboost! This increased my speed counters by four. Next I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Fusion to fuse Sacred Knight's Spearholder with Horse of the Floral Knights in order to fusion summon. Ride, Centaur Mina (Attack 2200/ Defense 1600)!" she declared. "Next I normal summon Fleur Synchron (Attack 400/ Defense 200). Now I tune Centaur Mina with Fleur Synchron to synchro summon. Bloom, Chevalier de Fleur (Attack 2700/ Defense 2300)! Chevalier de Fleur, attack the Ghost directly!" The attack hit dropping its life points to 500. "I end my turn."

Yusei drew his card to take his turn. "I send Quillbolt Hedgehog from my hand to the graveyard to special summon Quickdraw Synchron (Attack 700/ Defense 1400) in attack mode. Next I activate the effect of Quillbolt Hedgehog (Attack 800/ Defense 800) to summon itself from the graveyard. Since my opponents control synchro monsters and I don't, I can special summon Reed Butterfly (Attack 300/ Defense 600) from my hand in attack mode. Now I tune Reed Butterfly, Quillbolt Hedgehog with Quickdraw Synchron in order to synchro summon Road Warrior (Attack 3000/ Defense 1500)!" he declared. "Now I activate the effect the effect of Road Warrior to special summon Speed Warrior (Attack 900/ Defense 400) from my deck in attack position. Speed Warrior, attack the second Ghost directly!" The attack hit dropping it to 3100. "Road Warrior, attack the third Ghost directly!" The attack hit dropping the other bot to 1000 life points. "I set a face down and end my turn." Ghost 2 took its turn, drawing its card to begin it. Just then, Yusei called, "I activate my face down, Synchro Prominence to inflict 1000 points of damage to my opponent for each synchro monster on the field!" Ghost 1 and 3 were quickly taken out while Ghost 2 was left with 2100 life points.

"I summon Ally of Justice Tractor (Attack 0/ Defense 0)!" Ghost 2 declared. "I tribute Ally of Justice Tractor to add two Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateways from my deck to my hand. Next I special summon three Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateways (Attack 2400/ Defense 1200 for each) in attack mode since you have at least two monsters that include a light attributed monster. Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateway, attack Driven Daredevil!" The attack destroyed both monsters in a double knock out. "The last of them, attack Elsworth directly!"

"Elsworth!" Yusei called as the attacks hit and the man was sent out of control when he lost.

"I set a card to end my turn," Ghost 2 finished. Ghost 4 drew and Ghost 2 called, "I activate DNA Transplant! Now all monsters on the field become light attributed."

"I summon Ally Salvo (Attack 400/ Defense 300) in attack mode," Ghost 4 declared. "Ally Salvo, attack Chevalier de Fleur!"

"Chevalier!" Sherry called to defend.

Ghost 4's mode was destroyed, but the fourth Ghost grinned and called as his life points fell to 1700, "I activate Ally Salvo's effect! This destroys your Chevalier de Fleur and Speed Warrior!"

The duel went on and the rest of the Ghosts continued to summon Ally Salvos. They were quick to attack Sherry directly until she fell as well, leaving Yusei to deal with the Ghosts alone.


	43. A Summoning of Unlimited Acceleration

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 43**

 **A Summoning of Unlimited Acceleration**

Yusei's POV

The duel had continued and it wasn't looking too good. My Road Warrior was destroyed and he only had 2400 life points left to battle the Ghost army. Things weren't looking up, but I forced myself to stay hopeful.

One of the Ghost called, "Ally Salvo, attack Yusei direction!" My life points fell to 2000.

All other Ghosts began to attack me when a voice called, "Tech Genus Blade Blaster!" Vizor came in as the duel was canceled for the moment.

' _I'll have to thank him later,'_ I thought.

"I summon Buster Blaster (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack position and activate its effect to equip itself onto Blade Blaster, decreasing its attack and defense by 500 (Tech Genus Blade Blaster: Attack 2800/ Defense 1700). Tech Genus Blade Blaster, attack one of the Ally Salvos!" Vizor ordered. The attack destroyed the monster and the second effect of Blade Blaster destroyed all of the other Ally Salvos as they were the same type as the destroyed Ally Salvo.

Vizor and I quickly sped away from our opponents. "Vizor!" I called recognizing him.

Vizor and I turned as we heard someone driving up. It wasn't a Ghost, I could tell that much. When the person came up, I instantly felt something unwanting around them, making him tense and uncertain. But I also vaguely recognized the man.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm surprised you don't remember me. After all, I nearly killed that precious little girlfriend of yours," he replied and I immediately realized who this man was, and I glared at him in anger. "My name is Primo, and I will be your next opponent," the man answered..

I glared even further while Vizor pushed Primo back. "Now, Yusei," his teammate ordered. "Do the accel synchro."

I slowly nodded before moving to clear his mind. I began to accelerate forward and everything was becoming clear when the Meklord Emperors entered his mind. _'No, I can't think about them. If I complete accel synchro again, I'll be able to stop them. I know it,'_ I thought as things began to clear up. I was quick to allow the giant monsters to disappear from my mind and it wasn't long before I couldn't hear anything but the wind.

Third Person POV

Primo and Vizor watched as Yusei disappeared in a flash of light. _'He did it,'_ Vizor thought.

"I don't know what game you are playing or who you are," Primo called to Vizor. "But you are going down." He drew his card. "I summon Wise Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense mode and set a face down. That ends my turn."

"Since I control a monster and you control none, I can special summon Tech Genus Striker (Attack 800/ Defense 0) from my hand in attack mode," Vizor began. "Since I special summoned a level four or below monster, I can special summon Tech Genus Warwolf (Attack 1200/ Defense 0). Now I tune Tech Genus Warwolf with Tech Genus Striker in order to synchro summon Tech Genus Power Gladiator (Attack 2300/ Defense 1000)!" His monster came to the field, eyes ready to attack. "Tech Genus Power Gladiator, attack Wise Core!"

"I activate Twin Vortex! This destroys both Wise Core and Tech Genus Power Gladiator," Primo defended. And since Tech Genus Power Gladiator was destroyed, its final effect activated, allowing Vizor to draw one card. "And now since Wise Core was destroyed, its effect activated, allowing me to summon Meklord Emperor Wisel (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Wisel Top (Attack 500/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Wisel Attack (Attack 1200/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Wisel Guard (Attack 0/ Defense 1200) in defense mode, and Wisel Carrier (Attack 800/ Defense 600) in attack mode. And now due to the effect of Meklord Emperor Wisel, these monsters combine together and its attack becomes equal to the attack of every other Wisel monster I control (Meklord Emperor Wisel: Attack 2500/ Defense 0)."

"I set two cards to end my turn," Vizor finished.

Primo drew his card. "Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Tech Genus Rush Rhino!" he ordered and the attack succeeded while Vizor's life points fell to 3100. The final effect of Tech Genus Rush Rhino activated allowing Vizor to added another Tech Genus Rush Rhino to his hand from his deck. "I set two cards and end my turn."

Vizor drew his card. "I summon Tech Genus Cyber Magician (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack position. Now I use its effect to tune the Tech Genus Rush Rhino in my hand to Tech Genus Cyber Magician in order to synchro summon Tech Genus Wonder Magician (Attack 1900/ Defense 0)!" he declared. "Next I activate my face down known as Double Type Rescue. This revives Tech Genus Power Gladiator (Attack 2300/ Defense 1000) in attack position since I control two types of monsters. After all, with Tech Genus Wonder Magician's effect, it is treated as both a spellcaster type and a machine type monster."

"I recognize you now," Primo said. "I had encountered you on a seaside highway before. At the time, you had since you were created for the purpose of defeating the three of us. But when I was about to hit a stray cat, you slammed my duel runner out of the way and lost control of your own and crashed into the ocean. I left you for dead, but this time…"

"I tune Tech Genus Power Gladiator with Tech Genus Wonder Magician to accel-" Vizor stopped as the Ghost army surrounded him, making it so he couldn't accel synchro. "I end my turn."

Ghost 1 drew his first card. "I summon Ally Salvo (Attack 400/ Defense 300) in attack mode! Ally Salvo, attack Tech Genus Wonder Magician!" Tech Genus Wonder Magician destroyed Ally Salvo while dropping Ghost 1's life points to 2500. "Now the effect of Ally Salvo activated, destroying your Tech Genus Power Gladiator and your set card."

Yusei suddenly arrived and drove through all the Ghosts with Shooting Star Dragon at his side who had 3300 attack points and 2500 defense. "Primo," he called. "I think I'm ready to face you."

"You are? Well, then, let's…" he was cut off as Lester and Jakob contact him.

"Primo, stop," Jakob ordered. "Yusei has been chosen to receive a powerful gift. You can see that yourself!"

"Yeah, you really don't want to fight him," Lester warned.

Ignoring his fellow Emperors, Primo turned to Yusei and said, "I will gladly take you on, Yusei."

"Go, Yusei. I'll dispose of the minions on my own," Vizor vowed.

Primo used his sword and unlocked a new mode on his duel runner. His duel runner transformed a bit and Primo merged with it. "I will gladly take you down," he stated and the duel began.

"First I activate the first effect of Shooting Star Dragon to reveal the top five cards of my deck. For each tuner monster I pick up, Shooting Star Dragon gains that many attacks," Yusei declared and he pulled his cards. I saw them and they were all tuners. "I pulled five tuners meaning Shooting Star Dragon can attack five times. So Shooting Star Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Wisel!"

As the first attack went, Primo called, "I activate Skiel Carrier 5's effect to negate the attack!" The second one went. "I use the effect of Wisel Guard 3 to redirect the attack to itself and due to its effect, it's not destroyed."

"Shooting Star Dragon, attack Wisel Guard 3, Wisel Attack 3, and Skiel Carrier 5!" Yusei called. All three were destroyed and so were Primo's life points.

"My Meklord Emperor can't be defeated by any human!" Primo called out as he crashed. His duel runner went into pieces as his upper torso was ripped away from the machine.


	44. Emperors

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 44**

 **Emperors**

Yusei's POV

Primo crashed with his duel runner in pieces with me stopping while Vizor disappeared. I turned as Jayla came and ran up to me. Primo's upper torso wa ripped away from the machine to reveal that he was an android.

As I approached the unconscious Primo with Jayla sticking close by, something picked Primo, his sword, and his duel runner up. I looked up on top of the Infinity Tower and saw two other men who were similarly dressed as Primo standing there with Primo coming to them and landing right next to them. Jack and Kaz came up followed by Crow, Leo, and Luna, and quickly behind them was Trudge and Mina.

"Welcome, it is nice to finally meet you," Jakob greeted.

"Can't say the same to you," Jack retorted.

Jakob chuckled. "I supposed the feelings wouldn't be as mutual," he stated. "Even though ours were quite sarcastic."

"Why are you here? Why would you sabotage the tournament?" I asked.

"This situation in the tournament wasn't our doing completely. Primo had just gone a bit rogue. But don't worry about him," Jakob answered. "We're here to reform the world into a better age. History has created a bleak picture for the future and we will change it so the future will be as more a utopian society that it should be."

"So you think by destroying this city you'll create a better world," Jack commented. "Millions of people will get hurt. Don't you consider it wrong to do this?"

"As the saying goes, you can make an omelet without breaking a few eggs," Jakob replied. "By using the energy made in the duelists of this tournament, the Circuit and Grand Design will be complete. And when that happens, the world will change. We will be participating in the WRGP. We will be the final element to recreating the world."

I was tense and asked, "Who are you to say the world needs to be changed?"

"We are the three Emperors of Yliaster. I am Jakob and you know Lester and Primo. And we can see the changes the world needs by simply looking at the history of it," Jakob answered. "If you wish to stop us, you will have to face us in the World Racing Grand Prix. Now I believe it is time we take our leave. Jayla, I hope you've learned to control that dark power of yours." She gave them a shocked, but full attention while I placed a protective arm around her. "Because we will be coming back." They then disappeared together.

I looked at Jayla who seemed a bit worried. "Don't worry, Jayla," I reassured her. "Nothing will happen to you." She gave a small nod.

Mina then stated, "They're going to hold off the tournament for about two weeks to allow everything to get fixed and injured duelists can recuperate. Though it may be longer if road fixes take a bit longer or duelists are injured worse than we know at the moment."

"Sounds good," I agreed. We all nodded before taking off to go do our own things.


	45. Stolen and Gone

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 45**

 **Stolen and Gone**

Third Person POV

 _Everything was up in flames by two attacking dragons, Rainbow Dragon and Cyber End Dragon. And at the center of the attacks, a figure jumped across the rooftops dodging attack after attack. One barely missed him before he jumped through a building window._

 _He fell out of the smoke and landed on the ground to reveal himself as Jaden Yuki._

" _Those were some close calls," he said. He noticed Rainbow Dragon flying over and its mouth filled with power to attack. "Uh-oh, and I have a feeling they're about to get closer."_

 _It shot the attack at Jaden who placed Neos on his duel disk. Neos became real and blocked the attack with his arms crossed like Jaden's. He glared at the masked man standing on a roof behind the dragons._

" _Jaden Yuki, the duelist who they say can speak with the spirits," the man said._

" _I see my reputation precedes me," Jaden responded._

 _A spirit, Baron, appeared next to Jaden. "So he's the one behind all of this destruction," the spirit comment._

" _I'd say so, Baron, and it's pretty impressive too. I mean, wow. Bringing all of these duel monsters to real life?" Jaden responded._

 _Another spirit, Yubel, then showed herself. "Don't get too excited. He is trying to destroy you with them after all," she said._

" _Jaden, I've finished what I came here to do," the masked man said._

" _Say what?" Jaden retorted._

" _Say goodbye. Because I plan on finishing you off as well," the man said._

 _The man pulled out a card that lit up. A tower of light landed in front of Jaden. "Uh oh, whatever's coming I doubt it's good," Jaden said._

" _Farewell, Jaden!" the man exclaimed._

Jayla's POV

I bolted to a sit-up position, a bit of cold sweat on my face. _'What… was that?'_ I thought. _'Who was that guy? Why did he have Stardust Dragon? And why was he attacking that boy, Jaden?'_ Two seconds later, Yusei's eyes snapped open.

He sat up and looked at me and probably noticed my sweat covered face and my alert eyes. "Jayla?" Yusei called, obviously confused and worried about me.

"It's… nothing," I told him, getting up.

"It doesn't seem like nothing, Keeo," Yusei retorted. "You need to learn you can't hide stuff from me. You won't be able to. Besides, you've been pretty open to me about your nightmares, with good reason. Why does this one seem so bad that you won't tell me about it?"

I looked down. "It's just…" I stopped. Yusei stood up and walked to my side, placing a hand on my shoulder. "And you keep having the nightmares about Zero Reverse."

"Yeah. I've only told Jack and Crow because I didn't want to worry you. You've been worried enough with all that's going on," he responded. He sighed a bit, annoyance in his voice. "Don't try to change the topic."

"It's nothing. Really," I tried to evade.

"Jayla…" he called sternly and warningly.

"You want to head to the overlook?" I suggested.

"If you'll talk there, then fine," Yusei said and I nodded but I didn't look at him. "And why don't you ride with me for once?" I gave a small grin and nodded. We got dressed and took off for the overlook.

When we got there, I stayed silent for a minute or two. But Yusei eventually spoke up, "Jayla, what was so bad about that nightmare you had? I can help."

I looked down in thought. _'I could tell him. If that masked man had Stardust Dragon, it would stand to reason he stole it from Yusei in a duel. Maybe it could make it so Yusei doesn't duel that man,'_ I thought before sighing defeatedly. "Alright," I gave in. "There are two dragons are shooting at this boy, named Jaden Yuki from what I heard, while he was running on top of a roof. Cyber End Dragon and Rainbow Dragon were the ones attacking Jaden. He narrowly dodged each attack that was thrown at him. When Jaden lands on the ground, Rainbow Dragon fires at him again. Jaden uses Neos to protect him. That's when this masked man begins to speak," I stopped.

"Masked Man?" Yusei repeated confused.

I nodded. "He talks to Jaden saying things like people say 'he can speak with the spirits'. Jaden stays perfectly calm and talks to Baron who said the masked man was behind the destruction. Jaden, still being calm, said that he agreed and that it was impressive he was bringing the duel monsters to life. Yubel responded by saying 'the man was trying to destroy him after all'. Then the masked man said, 'I've finished what I came here to do'. When Jaden responded with 'what?', the man said to say goodbye because he was going to finish Jaden off. That's when he summons… a monster," I explained further, but stopped a bit.

"What monster?" Yusei pushed.

"Stardust Dragon," I answered bluntly. Yusei gasped in shock. "I don't know how he got it, but I have a bad feeling about all this. Yusei, if any masked figure comes and challenges you to a duel, don't bring out Stardust Dragon." They heard duel runners pull up but didn't pay give them any attention at the moment.

"Don't worry, Jayla," Yusei responded. "I won't let that happen."

"You still having bad dreams, guys?" Crow asked as he and Jack walked up behind us.

We turned to him. "If only they were just dreams," Yusei replied. I nodded to Yusei's statement, to show I agreed with him.

"But it was so long ago, and New Domino's rebuilt itself since your father's research was compromised," Crow told Yusei.

"You need to stop trying to change things that can't be changed. The past is past, Yusei. You need to let it go and embrace the future," Jack added.

"I agree. And you know, if I agree with Jack, I must really mean it," Crow agreed.

"And Jayla, how can your nightmares be real?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. But I have a feeling that whatever it is, it's coming… soon," I replied grimly.

"I know what'll make you two feel better," Jack said. He and Crow tossed Yusei and I our helmets which we caught with ease.

"Come on, guys. Let's ride," Crow said.

"Alright," Yusei said with a grin. I nodded with a small grin myself.

We got on and drove off. As we drove, I heard it. The scraping of metal on concrete. I looked behind us followed by Yusei.

"I've never seen that duel runner before," Jack commented as the duel runner came into view behind them.

"Or the duelist that's driving it," Crow added.

"Yusei, that's him," I told my boyfriend quietly and nervously. "It's the masked man from my dream." He looked at me shocked.

The unknown rider flashed his lights signaling a challenge. "I don't believe it. He's challenging us to a duel," Jack said.

"If it's a duel he wants, it's a duel he'll get," Yusei said.

"Just don't use Stardust Dragon," I reminded.

"Why not, Jayla?" Crow asked.

"He wants Yusei's Stardust Dragon," she answered.

"How you know that is uncertain to me. But we'll see how good he is without that dragon," the man said with a laugh.

"I'm not going to let you take my dragon," Yusei told the masked man. "So don't bother trying."

"We'll see about that," the man said.

"Jayla, you should probably get off right now," Yusei ordered.

"No," I immediately denied. "I need to see this to the end. I'm staying right here."

Yusei gave a small nod of acceptance. "Alright," he agreed. "Hold on tight and be careful." I nodded.

" _Duel Mode engaged,"_ said the voice as the duel began.


	46. When One Jumps Through Time

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 46**

 **When One Jumps Through Time**

Third Person POV

 **(A/N: Since the movie (or show bit or whatever you want to call it) doesn't show most of the duel, I'll skip to the end like it.)**

An explosion knocked dust around as Yusei made an attack. He had Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500) in defense mode and Nitro Warrior (Attack 2800/ Defense 1800) in attack mode. He had two face downs as well. His life points stood at 1800.

The masked man had no monsters and two face downs himself. His life points stood at 2400.

"Why don't you bring out that Stardust Dragon? I know you want to," the masked man taunted.

"Because I'm not going to let you take it," Yusei retorted. "Now I think I'll finish this by attacking you with Nitro Warrior!" The man laughed.

"Why is he laughing?" Crow asked worried.

"I think we're about to find out," Yusei replied.

"I activate the trap Negate for Reward! This card negates your attack and allows me to pick a monster from your extra deck and summon it to the field," the man explained.

"What?!" Yusei exclaimed. The man laughed. "I activate Trap Jammer! This negates your trap and destroys it."

"Nope, in addition to its effect, it also negates the activation of all trap and spell cards," the masked man informed. "And I think I'll summon your Stardust Dragon!"

"Yusei…" I quietly called, worried.

"I know, Jayla," he responded.

The man laughed as Stardust Dragon was forced to the field. Jayla quickly disappeared into the dragon from behind Yusei, worrying him even more. Jayla in her dragon form looked at Yusei with worried and begging eyes, like it knew what would happen. And that was only making Yusei grow more worried, on the verge of frightened for her.

Yusei turned, however, as the man brought out a blank card. "What's the blank card for?" he asked.

It shot out a stream of four sided, card shaped light. Jayla began to beat her wings as the attack came closer. The attack quickly was forced a bit further back and pressed on against the force Jayla was creating. "What's this?!" the masked man exclaimed.

"Jayla!" Yusei called worriedly. _'I have a feeling if he gets Stardust Dragon with that card of his now, he'll take Jayla too. Jayla, please hold on,'_ he thought frightened he would lose her.

"Jack, what's going on?" Crow asked his friend.

"I don't know," he replied.

Yusei's dragon continued to beat her wings against the card pushing it back further. The man growled and his head shot forward. The card seemed to gain power and it became too much for Stardust Dragon. The attack went through the winds and Stardust Dragon was engulfed in a sphere made of thousands of cards.

"Jayla!" Yusei called in worry and fear.

The sphere glowed, swallowing his dragon before the sphere drained back into the blank card. Once it was completely in the card, it became a darker colored version of Stardust Dragon.

"What did…? Stardust Dragon it's…" Jack stuttered shocked.

"It's gone! It's stolen!" Crow exclaimed.

"And so is Jayla," Yusei added in worry. "But how?"

"A great many things are possible, Yusei," the man called to Yusei as he drove up beside us. "And now that I have the mighty Stardust Dragon, the demise of this era and time is one of those things."

"Who are you?" Yusei demanded angrily. The man laughed. He drove off faster than possible before disappearing in a flash of light. Yusei pulled to a stop. The others followed. "Jayla…" he trailed off sadly looking at his now empty card.

"Okay, let's head back to the garage. We need to talk about what just happened," Jack said.

Yusei looked down sadly. _'I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry, Jayla…'_ he thought. _'I'll get you back, though. I promise I'll find some way to get you back.'_ He then turned with his friends and headed towards the garage.

Third Person POV

Crow, Yusei, and Jack stood in the garage. "Will someone tell me what just happened?" Jack asked.

"I would but I don't know myself," Crow responded.

"I still can't believe he took Stardust with Jayla," Yusei commented.

"Why did that maniac take her? That's what I'd like to know," Jack responded.

"Are you sure he took Jayla too?" Crow asked.

"If he hadn't, Jayla would probably be standing here visible right now," Yusei reasoned sadly. The other two knew Yusei was getting upset at himself for not being able to keep Jayla at his side or protect her from that man's card. And they didn't know what they could do to help the Head Signer at the moment.

"Hey, guys," came Akiza's voice. They looked up and saw her, Leo, and Luna entering.

"No offense, but this really isn't the best time for a social call," Jack said.

"Who ever said this was social, Jack? We happen to be here on business," Leo retorted.

"Business? What's up?" Yusei asked.

"Leo and I were researching duel monsters' history when we found this," Luna said handing Yusei a handle. He pressed a button and it showed an article of Yugi, his grandfather, and Maximillion Pegasus.

"Hey, I recognize that guy," Crow said.

"I should hope so. That's Maximillion Pegasus the chairman of Industrial Illusions," Jack responded, "He's the creator of duel monsters."

"And look who's next to him," Crow said.

"Yugi Muto, the King of Games himself. They say he's the best duelist to have ever picked up a deck," Yusei said.

"Doesn't look so tough to me. But how could you with that dated haircut? But I admit, he's a dueling legend. What I would give to see Yugi duel way back in his day," Jack said.

"This is what you wanted to show us?" Yusei said.

"No, scroll over to the next page," Akiza told him.

Yusei did so and everyone gasped. "Wait, Stardust Dragon?!" Yusei exclaimed.

"But that card didn't exist back then," Jack said.

"Exactly our point," Leo said.

Crow turned back to the article. "The article says that these dragons appeared one day and blasted all of Europe," Crow read.

"But I don't remember hearing about this. And this is a major historical event," I said.

"That's just it. This is new history. Somehow the past has changed," Akiza said.

"Wait," Yusei said. He tapped the screen. The masked duelist stood in the background tall and confident. "It's that duelist from before. The one who took Stardust Dragon."

"Where's Jayla?" Luna asked.

"When that man took Stardust Dragon, he took Jayla with it," Yusei answered shocking and worrying them.

A crumbling sound was heard from outside. They looked out the window. Black ash slowly fell from the sky like snow.

"What's going on outside?" Akiza asked.

"I don't like the looks of this, guys," Jack commented bluntly as we saw the building slowly crumble and vanish.

"Leo, what's happening?" Luna asked scared.

"Our city's vanishing," Leo answered.

"But why?" Akiza asked.

"Maybe I've seen one too many movies; but whenever something changes in the past, doesn't it also somehow change the future?" Jack guessed.

"Yeah, so?" Crow replied.

"If the past has changed that would mean that…" Yusei stopped for a moment in realization. "What the masked man said is true! Our era, our period in time… it's meeting its end."

Everyone's mark then lit up bright. The Signers' marks transferred to Yusei imprinting the Mark of the Crimson Dragon on his back.

"It's the Mark of the Crimson Dragon," Akiza said looking at the mark.

Leo noticed Yusei's duel runner glowing a bit. "And Yusei's powers are surging through his duel runners too," he commented.

Yusei felt a presence calling him and saw the Crimson Dragon next to his runner. The others were quick to notice as well. He looked and it gave a call to him. He didn't hesitate a moment longer and ran towards his duel runner.

"What're you doing?" Akiza asked.

"I'm not sure but I need to go somewhere, most likely to stop this," Yusei answered. As he got on his runner, and took off. As he drove, the Crimson Dragon appeared before the other god. "I don't know where you're taking me; but if it's somewhere that'll give us a chance to stop this and save, lead the way," Yusei told the fiery dragon. It roared and Yusei entered a tunnel of light before disappearing.


	47. Friends From the Past

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 47**

 **Friends From the Past**

Third Person POV

"That's some dragon. Know where I could score one?" Jaden asked staring at the masked man and Stardust Dragon.

"Jaden Yuki, calm, cool, and collected to the very end. Now perish!" the masked man said. Jayla in her Stardust Dragon self fought to try to stop itself. "Destroy him!" the man ordered.

The dragon roared as its mind was overrun by the man's power. It fired at Jaden and Neos. It hit Neos nearly destroying the duel monster.

"Neos!" Jaden called. The leftover attack hit him and he was sent into a pile of crumbled debris.

"Now finish him!" the man commanded.

Stardust Dragon reluctantly did so. Just as it was about to hit, the Crimson Dragon stopped the attack. To say that Jayla was secretly relieved was an understatement. From the flames of the dragon came Yusei.

Yusei looked up. "Stardust!" he exclaimed. He then whispered, "Jayla…" She gave him pleading eyes, but hope seemed to flicker in there.

"Yusei! How you followed me back in time, I do not know. What I do know is that it means nothing for you and Jaden. If you don't perish by my hand, the hands of time will do you in," the man said.

"Hands of what?" Jaden asked. The man laughed turning around.

"Wait, stop!" Yusei called.

The masked man drove off and disappeared in a flash of light. Jaden and Yusei stared at the spot where he disappeared for a moment. Eventually, though, Yusei got off his runner and helped Jaden to his feet. Yusei got up to the roof from the pile of debris followed by the boy in the red jacket. Jaden sat down to the right of Yusei.

"You took quite the hit there. Are you okay?" Yusei asked.

"I'm all good. Just a few scratches," Jaden replied.

"You're a tough kid. So you're Jaden. That's what he called you, right?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah," Jaden asked. "That man called you Yusei, right?" The Signer nodded. The boy turned to the duel runner. "That's quite the ride you got there. Looks like something from the future."

"It is," Yusei responded.

"It is? What do you mean 'it is'?" Jaden questioned, uncertain.

" _He means as he says, Jaden. Yusei's is from another time,"_ Baron answered as Yusei could hear due to the the Crimson Dragon seeming to allow him to.

"Another time? Quit messing with me. Besides, how would you guys know?" Jaden asked.

" _We know because like you, Yusei has a gift,"_ Yubel said.

" _A gift that connects them to the world of duel monster spirits,"_ Baron continued.

"I think they mean this mark," Yusei explained to the slightly confused Jaden.

Jaden looked at the Signer and saw the mark on his arms. "Well looks like we have something new in common, don't we, Yusei?" Jaden asked.

"Yes, Jaden. Now tell me how this got started with you and the masked man," Yusei said.

"Some classmates of mine kept reporting their duel monsters cards were getting snatched. I went looking for the thief and found you know who," Jaden explained.

"Listen Jaden, I know we just met but believe me when I say we need to stop this man. Because if we don't life as you know it…" Yusei paused as if looking for the right word before continuing, "Won't be as you know it. My time, your time; it will change. And it's not a change for the better."

"Wait, are you saying you want me to team up with you two to take this dude down?" Jaden asked excitedly pulling a fist in front of his face.

"Yes, Jaden," Yusei answered.

"Okay, but how are we going to take him down? I mean the dude split," Jaden asked.

"He moved back in time. Probably to the time where he makes his big move and changes history and alters the future forever," Yusei replied.

"Whoa, whoa. What do you mean 'changes history and alters the future'?" Jaden asked. He pulled out a laptop from his bag. "History hasn't changed. Here, I'll show ya. Let me check out the Domino City database and pull up a newspaper article that'll prove to you that history has…" he paused for a moment before continuing, "Completely changed!" They froze for a moment as they saw the article.

The title line: " _ **TRAGEDY AT THE TOURNAMENT! PEGASUS MISSING!**_ " and underneath that was: " _ **Is Duel Monsters Over?**_ "

"And not for the better," Jaden added, "Why is this guy doing all of this?"

"I don't know, but he's doing it as we speak," Yusei replied.

"Well, as long as I have Neos…" Jaden started but when he pulled out his card, the picture vanished. "Neos is gone!"

They looked around hearing crumbling noises. A tower fell in front of them, luckily not hitting the duel runner. "And it's happening here too. Your era and time is crumbling away. First your duel monsters cards, now everything else," Yusei commented calmly but alert.

"What do we do now, guys?" Jaden asked.

"Now we move," Yusei said.

"Where?" Jaden asked.

Yusei and Jaden got on the Jedi's runner. They drove off with the Crimson Dragon taking them further into the past.

. . .

Yugi and his grandfather, Solomon Muto, stood at the Domino City Duel Tournament. Looking around at all the excited duelists.

"This certainly is a good turn out," Solomon said.

"And it's no wonder why. The rumor is Pegasus himself will be here today," Yugi said.

The sound of a helicopter could be heard and everyone looked up. The helicopter landed and Pegasus stepped out.

"Greetings, everyone. It's wonderful to see you all but probably not nearly as wonderful for you to see me. So please, enjoy my splendor," Pegasus said. People cheered loud.

On top of a building, the masked man stood. He growled, "And enjoy your last moments, _Pegasus_." His final name was filled with such venomous hate that could kill him if it were possible.

The three dragons flew over top the buildings as the clock hit noon. "Dragons!" people called out in amazement.

"Boy, my laser eye surgery sure makes those duel monsters holograms look real," Solomon said.

As the dragons hit the buildings and they crumbled away, Yugi said, "I don't think those are holograms, Grandpa."

"Move it," a man said as he push Yugi and Solomon in separate directions.

"Yugi!" Solomon called.

"Grandpa!" Yugi responded as he tried to push his way back from the running crowd.

"It's my worst fear. I've been upstaged," Pegasus said. He heard the crash of the building behind him. "Oh no, the building," he cried as it landed on top of him.

As the minutes to hours passed by, Yugi woke up among the ruins. He looked around to find he was the only survivor. He noticed his grandfather's bandana and ran to it to pick it up before he screamed his grandfather's in sadness.

He heard a laugh from above and looked at the top of a building. "At last my work in complete! It took some doing but history is now forever changed. Changed so that duel monsters is no more!" the man exclaimed.

Yugi looked at him confused. Suddenly, though, a light caught his eye. He looked at it and just as he did, a red, fiery dragon slipped out of the light and enveloped the frightened Yugi.

The Crimson Dragon flew above a roof top. Yugi was thrown out and Yusei and Jaden skidded to a stop on their runners. Yugi rubbed the back of his neck that had hit the corner of a concrete molding.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jaden asked running up to him followed by Yusei.

Yugi back away but Yusei said, "It's okay, Yugi. You're safe now."

"Where am I? Is my grandpa okay? Where's Pegasus?" Yugi asked. He looked and noticed everyone standing below them as if nothing had happened. "Wait, was that all just a dream?"

"I'm afraid not," Yusei replied.

"Here's the deal, bro, it's not where you are but when," Jaden said.

"We've taken you back in time. Back to just before those dragons blasted this place," Yusei informed opening her eyes and looking at Yugi once again.

Jaden looked at his card. "Look, Neos is back!" he exclaimed.

"Who are you guys?" Yugi asked in confusion and shock.

"My name's Yusei Fudo," he introduced.

"And I'm Jaden Yuki," Jaden finished with a happy, confident tone.

"Yusei and Jaden. I'm Yugi Muto," he introduced.

"Oh, there's no need to tell us who you are; we know," Yusei said.

"You do? How's that?" Yugi asked.

"Cause we're from the future. It's no big whoop," Jaden replied calmly.

"What?" Yugi responded.

"Okay, I guess it's kind of a big whoop. Bottom line though, we're here to save the world," Jaden said.

"That masked man you saw… he has to be stopped. Like you, we've seen what happens if he's not," Yusei told the King of Games.

"This guy looks like he's made it his mission in life to take down Pegasus," Jaden said.

"But why?" Yugi asked.

"We don't know that just yet but if he takes down Pegasus, the duel monsters world he created…" Yusei trailed off.

"It goes with him. Along with everything that sprang from it. Schools, cities, people, you name it," Jaden said.

Yugi looked down and muttered, "Oh man."

"But it doesn't have to be that way," Jaden said. "That's why we're here."

"If we work together we might be able to stop this maniac," Yusei said. "Will you help us?"

Yugi's head sprung up and looked at each of them with a determined face while he stood up followed by the other two. "That guy hurt my grandpa and it also sounds like he's trying to hurt the game I love. So I'm more than willing to help you in any way that I can," Yugi agreed. "Let's make this guy sorry that he ever messed with us."

"Glad to have you on our side," Yusei commented.

"Try ecstatic! We've got the King of Games in our corner! Now let's do this," Jaden exclaimed happily and confidently.


	48. Fight of the History

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 48**

 **Fight of the History**

Third Person POV

The three duelists hurried down the staircase and Jaden had Yubel fire a shot at the stage. Every person in or near the area ran away in fear.

"That's right. Just keep running and don't look back!" Jaden called with a laugh.

"I hope this scares away Pegasus so he won't be crush by that building," Yugi said.

"Then he and the future of duel monsters are safe," Yusei added. _'But I still need to get Jayla back,'_ he added mentally.

"I think not!" yelled a voice.

Yusei looked back with the others and saw a portal open long enough for the masked duelist to popped out and land in front of them.

"You listen here! We know what you're up to and we're not going to let it happen, got it? So why don't you make it easier on yourself and go back to wherever it is you came from?" Yugi suggested defiantly.

"Where I come from is why I'm here," the man said. "Perhaps it's time we got acquainted." He removed his mask. "The name is Paradox."

"Paradox?" Yusei repeated.

"I doubt you've heard of me. In fact, I very much certain that you haven't," Paradox said. "After all, I don't come from any of your eras of time. I come from the future."

"What does that mean?" Yusei asked.

"Forget him. He's just trying to get in your head," Jaden said.

"We don't care about your backstory, we just care about keeping our world safe," Yugi told him.

"Is that so?" he asked and chuckled slightly. "No one thought to keep me safe. Or those I loved. And now I will finally have my revenge. I will rid the world of what caused all my pain and suffering. That is why I am here. Because I've realized something about this game you love so. This Duel Monsters. The world would be a far better place without it. The monsters, the spells, what good has come from it? True, you've all saved the world many times of it with your precious cards. But against adversaries using the same cards to destroy it."

"So that's why you're here? To rid the world of duel monsters?" Yusei asked.

"That is correct, once and for all," Paradox answered.

"Not on our watch," Yusei retorted.

"You senseless dolts! Don't you see? Instead of going against me, you three should be trying your best to help me! I told you, the world I come from is the reason why I am here. Where I come from is a doomed future," he responded.

Yusei gave a small gasp. "No, our future is a bright one," he said disbelievingly and slightly distraught.

"It is not. It is a desolate place. So desolate I could no longer bear to see it through my own eyes. I took to wearing a mask. And it was through this filter that I began to see why things had ended this way. And the answer was Duel Monsters. So what better way to destroy this virus than by travelling back to the beginning and not letting it spread?" Paradox said. "Time travel is no easy feat. But where there is a will, there is a way. And there _was_ a will."

Yusei's fist squeezed tight in frustration. "But don't you realize? You're not just wiping out duel monsters, but people too! You're destroying everything and everyone ever touched by the game," he growled.

"Of course I realize that, Yusei. As a matter of fact, that's what I'm looking forward to the most," Paradox responded.

"You are one sick puppy," Jaden retorted.

"Maybe the game's not perfect but it has created more good things than bad," Yugi continued.

"And another thing, the future isn't written yet. There is still time for things to change," Yusei added.

"Well then, since you feel so strongly about that, it seems we to have a difference of opinion. And since I doubt any more words will settle our impasse, perhaps we can seek to settle it another way," Paradox responded.

"If you're saying you want a duel, bring it on Paradox," I agreed.

"Fine then. I find it fitting to destroy you with the very cards you're trying to save," Paradox said. He pressed a button on his duel runner and it morphed into a somewhat plane like vehicle and hovered high in the air.

"Paradox, get ready to get your game on!" Jaden exclaimed with his eyes changing into two separate colors like Yubel's.

"You're twisted time crusade ends here. Let's rev it up," Yusei said. He brought his hand high into the air. His Mark of the Dragon Head lit up and the Crimson Dragon appeared behind him, roaring slightly in pride.

" _Yugi, out of all of our duels this may be the toughest,"_ said Yugi's other spirit and friend known as Yami.

"Then let's rise to the challenge," Yugi responded.

He then used the Millennium Puzzle to change his mind and spirit with Yami and allowed Yami to control the duel. "I just have one thing to say to you Paradox, it's time to duel!" Yami yelled.

They activated their duel disks. Yugi, Jaden, and Yusei shared a total of 4000 life points and Paradox had his own 4000.

"I'll go first," Paradox declared. "And I think I start by summoning the field spell, Malefic World." Their entire surroundings turned into a violet colored space.

"What just happened?" Yusei asked as he and his teammates looked around in shock and awe.

"Malefic World," Paradox answered. "And I think I'll use the effect of Malefic World. By skipping the draw phase of my turn, I can add a random malefic monster from my deck directly to my hand. Next, I'll send Cyber End Dragon from my extra deck to the graveyard so that Malefic Cyber End Dragon (Attack 4000/ Defense 2800) now appears!" A dragon similar looking to the original Cyber End Dragon took to the field but on its face, back, and wings was black and white plating.

"Does anyone know what this Malefic thing is all about?" Yusei asked.

"It's not some 'thing', it's the type of deck I use. A type from the future. One of the many advantages of time travel," Paradox replied.

"Jaden, did you see how he brought out a Malefic version of that dragon?" the Jedi asked his new friend.

"Uh-huh, just by sending the real version of Cyber End to the graveyard. That's all it took," Jaden said.

"So in other words, by getting rid of its good version, he can give life to its bad. It seems Paradox only sees the dark side of duel monsters," Yugi said.

"Yes, and I'll use them to destroy you all. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I end my turn with one face down," Paradox intervened.

"Listen, Jaden, Yugi, we know what's at stake here. Our friends, the very balance, it all hinges on this duel. It's true, we may have all just met and may not know each other's duel styles and strategies. But right now, we need to fight as one. All our skills, all our past experiences, let's use them. Let's put them together for this one common cause," Yusei gave his little, mini speech.

Yugi and Jaden nodded at each other. "Agreed, Yusei. And I think you should be the one to start us off," the spirit bonded man said.

"Right," he agreed. "Here we go!" He pulled a card. "First, from my hand I play the spell card Reincarnation of Hope. By sending two monsters to the graveyard down now, we can draw a monster card later."

"Don't you realize there won't be a later for you or your friends?" Paradox growled.

"Well for now, I'm summoning Junk Synchron," Yusei declared. "And because I was able to summon him, I can summon a level two or below monster from the graveyard. Sonic Chick, fan your feathers in defense mode. And now my Quillbolt Hedgehog's ability activates from my graveyard. Since there is a tuner monster already on my field, I can summon my hedgehog straight to the field. But he won't be staying around for long. Nor are any of my other monsters, at least not in their present form. Because I'm tuning them all together. Just as Yugi, Jaden, and I are combining our might, these three have now combined theirs. I summon forth the synchro monster, Junk Gardna (Attack 1400/ Defense 2600)!" Out of the pillar of light typically created from a synchro summon, Junk Gardna slammed to the ground in defense position.

"Synchro what?" Yugi asked shocked.

"I don't know but I like it. Too cool!" Jaden exclaimed giving Yusei a thumbs up.

"I place two cards face down and end my turn," the Signer finished.

"How truly pathetic. If that's the best you can do, you all might as well give up here and now. Your decks are no match for mine. Not as long as I have Yusei's Stardust Dragon," Paradox told us. The Signer glared at him in warning. "It's my move. Now I'll show your beast a true might. Next I'll send Rainbow Dragon from the extra deck to graveyard. Which as you saw before means, I can summon Malefic Rainbow Dragon (Attack 4000/ Defense 0)!" Paradox declared and the dragon came to the field in a similar situation in difference as Cyber End Dragon.

"Hey! Leave my pal's card out of this!" Jaden demanded angrily.

"Why do you think I was time hopping in the first place? I was collecting the cards needed to take down Pegasus. Until that time comes, I'll use them… to destroy the three of you! Malefic Rainbow Dragon, attack! Spectral Surge!" Paradox ordered.

"I activate Junk Gardna's ability. With it, your dragon is about to be switched into defense mode," Yusei defended.

"You stopped one of my dragons, yes. But as you recall, I have two out! Malefic Cyber End Dragon, attack!" Paradox retorted.

The blast destroyed Junk Gardna and Yusei was thrown back by the damage made real with his and his teammates' life points dropping to 2600.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asked.

"Say something, pal," Jaden called.

Yusei sat up. "I'm alright," he assured them.

"Well you won't be when your life points run out because in a malefic duel, you don't just lose the match, you lose your soul," Paradox informed. Yugi, Jaden, and Yusei glared at Paradox.

Yusei stood up and countered saying, "I activate Junk Gardna's second ability. When it's destroyed, it switches one of your monsters into defense mode. And then I activate Miracle's Wake! This revives the monster that was just destroyed," he declared and Junk Gardna returned in his respective defense position. "Sorry, I lost us some points there."

"Don't apologize, Yusei," Yugi said.

"Yeah, you just fended off two super tough monsters. Way to go!" Jaden praised.

"Thanks guys, I did my best," he responded.

"Against a deck stacked with the best cards throughout all of time, that's all we can do. And that's what we have to keep doing to win this duel," Yugi responded.

"In my time travels, I've listened in on some of your pep talks. But that, by far, was your most pathetic. I place a card face down and end my turn," Paradox chimed in.

"Then it's my turn to take a crack at ya," Jaden said drawing his card. "Yusei, mind if I piggyback off your play?" he asked. Yusei nodded, silently saying to go ahead. "Alright then, I activate Polymerization! And I'll fuse Junk Gardna with my Elemental HERO Neos that is in my hand. This is a first: two different monster from different times becoming one. Here comes the best from both worlds. Come to battle, Elemental HERO Neos Knight (Attack 2500/ Defense 1000)! And due to his ability, he gains a power boost equal to half of Junk Gardna's attack points (Elemental HERO Neos Knight: Attack 3200). Now Neos Knight will attack that Malefic Rainbow Dragon!" Neos Knight attacked and successfully destroyed Paradox's malefic version of Rainbow Dragon. "Oh, and Neos Knight's ability allows him two attacks in this one battle!" Jaden declared.

"Two attacks?!" Paradox exclaimed as Neos Knight destroyed Malefic Cyber End Dragon in an explosion.

"You're not so tough," Jaden stated.

" _Well done, Jaden. I've heard of knights slaying dragons before but not two at once,"_ Yubel told him. Jaden gave a small laugh.

"Let's see if you're laughing when I activate Malefic Tune! This allows me to draw two cards from my deck," Paradox retorted.

"Jaden, you have to tell me, where did you learn to duel with such heart and passion?" Yugi asked.

"A little place called Duel Academy. And believe it or not, I usually skip class," Jaden replied.

"Well, if I were your teacher, I would certainly give you an A on that last move," Yugi responded.

' _I sure hope New Domino City gives me passing marks after this,'_ Yusei thought.

"Well, I set four cards face down and end my turn," Jaden finished.

"Then it's my turn. And I think I'll use the effect Malefic World to add a random malefic monster from my deck to my hand. Excellent! Now I have all I need right at my fingertips! Next by sending Stardust Dragon from my extra deck to the graveyard, I can summon Malefic Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!" Paradox declared.

Stardust Dragon took to the field but his appearance was changed by the malefic force in Paradox's possession. Stardust's face and eyes were covered by a black and white, metal mask. His wings were covered in similar armor and his chest held plating of similar colors.

"My Stardust! Paradox, you snake, what have you done to her?" Yusei asked angrily. _'Jayla… Stay with me, please…'_

"I simply introduced it to the power of the shadows and there's more to come," he replied. "I summon Malefic Parallel Gear (Attack 0/ Defense 0). Next I'll tune Malefic Parallel Gear and _my_ Malefic Stardust Dragon."

"What?!" Yusei exclaimed.

"You're not the only one who can synchro summon here, Yusei," Paradox replied. "I synchro summon, Paradox Dragon (Attack 4000/ Defense 4000)!"

"Not good," Jaden muttered.

"That's right, Jaden. And since Paradox Dragon was summoned I can summon Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000) to the field in attack mode," Paradox said.

"Two dragons again?" Yusei muttered.

"Yes, Yusei. Because due to Paradox Dragon's effect, every monster you control will lose attack equal to every synchro monster I control. So, Neos Knight, power down (Elemental HERO Neos Knight: Attack 400)!" Paradox stated. "Paradox Dragon, attack Neos Knight!"

"I play, Hero Barrier. This negates your attack as long as there is an Elemental HERO on my field," Jaden declared.

"I activate Malefic Claw Stream. Since I have a malefic synchro monster out, I can destroy one of your monsters," Paradox said and destroyed Neos Knight.

"I'll see your trap and raise it with one of my own. Elemental Mirage! This returns Neos Knight (Attack 2500/ Defense 1000) back from the graveyard," Jaden declared.

"A perfect counter," Yugi praised.

"Aw, I just figured it would be rude of me to leave you without a monster on the field," Jaden responded.

"Thanks and you can count on me to put Neos Knight to good use," Yugi told Jaden.

"I'm sorry, Yugi, but your best won't even be good enough here. After all, Neos Knight is still subject to Paradox Dragon's effect (Elemental HERO Neos Knight: Attack 0)," Paradox reminded them. "I end my turn with two face downs."

"It's my move. So get ready!" Yugi exclaimed glaring at Paradox.

"Let's see what you've got, King of Games," Paradox taunted.

"Yugi, my cards are your cards," Yusei told the King of Games.

"Well, in that case, I'll use Reincarnation of Hope's effect to add a monster card to my hand. And the monster I choose is Dark Magician," Yugi declared.

"Like I didn't see that coming," Paradox said.

"Next, I activate Ancient Rules which allows me to summon Dark Magician," Yugi fought. Jaden and Yusei looked at Dark Magician as he stared at his opponent defiantly.

"According to the history books, that card is Yugi's ace," Yusei commented.

"I know, cool!" Jaden agreed.

"As 'cool' as he may be, he's still subject to Paradox Dragon's power down effect (Dark Magician: Attack 0)," Paradox said.

Yusei sighed. "Yugi, if Stardust Dragon needs to be destroyed for us to win this, then destroy it," he said. The King of Game looked at him shocked by his words. "It's better that than letting it be under Paradox's control any longer."

"Yusei…" Yugi muttered. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment.

"Oh, how touching. Now go already!" Paradox yelled impatiently.

Yugi and Yusei turned back to the field. Yugi then played, "I activate Bond Between Teacher and Student. When I have a Dark Magician on the field, I can summon his student, Dark Magician Girl!" The magician in blue and pink clothing and staff came to the field. "Next I activate Magic Gate of Miracles. Now since I have two spell casters out on my field, I can take control of one of your monsters."

A giant square portal formed on both sides of the field and two giant hands reach out. In response, Paradox declared, "I activate Malefic Force. Now Paradox Dragon is no longer up for grabs."

"That's true, but Stardust Dragon still is," Yugi reminded. The hands reached out and pulled Stardust over to Yusei and the dragon didn't bother to resist the pull. "Yusei, Stardust Dragon is now back where it belongs."

"Thanks, Yugi!" Yusei told him kindly and relieved as it appeared on his card and the image on Paradox's card shattered. _'Jayla, I hope you're alright. I'll keep you safe and with me no matter what,'_ he thought.

Jaden gave a small chuckle. "You never wanted Paradox Dragon in the first place, right?" he asked.

Yugi nodded. "And speaking of Paradox Dragon, his ability is no longer in effect which means our monsters attack points return to normal," he informed. Dark Magician and Neos Knight return to their normal 2500 attack points each.

"So what if your monsters' attack points are back to normal? My dragon still has them beat with a total of 4000. Face it, you're simply outmatched," Paradox retorted.

"I wouldn't say that," Yugi countered resulting in Paradox giving a shock and confused look. "I activate Dark Magic Twin Burst! Now I can add Dark Magician Girl's attack points to Dark Magician's (Dark Magician: Attack 4500). Now your dragon is the one who's been outmatched, Paradox, and he also happens to be outnumbered two to one. Now go, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl!"

The two spell casters shot a beam of purple like that pierced Paradox Dragon's head and went through it and through the dragon's abdomen destroying it and forced Paradox to lose 500 life points making him at 3500.

"These desperate moves change nothing," Paradox said with a grin.

"I disagree. You had two monsters and now you have none," Yugi said.

"And I thank you for that. All you've done is clear the way for something else. Something grand, something almighty!" Paradox exclaimed.

"Spit it out," Jaden commanded tense while they all got in defensive stances.

"I activate Malefic Paradigm Shift which, at the cost of half of my life points (Paradox: Life Points 1750) allows me to summon my most wicked beast, Malefic Truth Dragon (Attack 5000/ Defense 5000)!" Paradox declared. A giant, golden dragon appeared on the field and Paradox's vehicle disappeared as he somehow fused with his new monster.

"I've seen some big monsters all my life but that behemoth definitely takes the cake," Jaden commented shocked.

"And it probably ate it too," Yusei agreed.

"This is your doing, Yugi! I hope you're pleased with yourself," Paradox yelled down.

Yugi growled. "I set two cards face down and end my turn," he declared.

Paradox began his turn. "I play Malefic Selector. By removing Malefic Parallel Gear and Malefic Cyber End Dragon from play, I can add two malefic monsters to my hand. And I'll send both Blue Eyes White Dragon and Red Eyes Black Dragon to the graveyard to summon their dark counterparts. Malefic Blue Eyes White Dragon and Malefic Red Eyes Black Dragon!" he played. Both dragons as their dark counterparts appeared onto the field.

"Both Blue Eyes and Red Eyes!" Yugi exclaimed shocked.

"Next I'll have Malefic Red Eyes Black Dragon attack that Dark Magician Girl. And so you know, with Malefic Truth Dragon's ability when it destroys one monsters all the other monsters are destroyed as well," Paradox declared.

"What?!" Yusei exclaimed.

"I activate De-Fusion! Neos Knight, time to split," Jaden declared. Elemental HERO Neos and Junk Gardna appeared on the field. "Now, Yusei."

Yusei gave a quick grin. "I use the effect of Junk Gardna to switch Malefic Red Eyes Black Dragon in defense mode," he declared switching the dragon as told. "Which means Dark Magician Girl is safe."

"Yusei, Jaden, nice teamwork," Yugi praised.

"I'll show you teamwork!" Paradox exclaimed. "Blue Eyes, pick up where Red Eyes left off." Yusei heard both dragons whimper in fear as Blue Eyes attacked Dark Magician and destroyed him. The four duelists' life points dropped to 2100. "Now Truth Dragon's ability activates. So now all your monsters are destroyed." Giant thorns appeared and began to rain down.

"Sorry, Paradox, don't think so!" Yusei stopped. "I activate Stardust Dragon's special ability. By releasing Stardust Dragon, I can negate your dragon's effect and then destroy it all together." The thorns stopped in place as Stardust Dragon disappeared. _'You'll be back soon, Jayla,'_ he thought calmly.

"What?!" Paradox responded.

"So say goodbye," the Signer responded and the thorns switched directions before flying in the opposite direction.

"I play Truth Dragon's other ability. But removing Malefic Rainbow Dragon from play, Truth Dragon is saved," Paradox reacted. "Now Malefic Truth Dragon attack!" As Neos was attacked and destroyed, his dragon's ability activated. "And remember, when one goes they all go!" All the rest of our monsters were destroyed. "And did I forget to mention, for every monster destroyed by its effect, you take 800 points of damage." The three of protectors of time were pushed back by the explosion and their life points drop to 500. They slowly got back to their feet. "Next I activate Malefic Divide. With it, I can summon back Malefic Stardust Dragon! And now it will attack all of you!"

"No, my nightmare, my worst fear is coming true," Yusei said. "All is-"

" _Don't worry, Yusei, it'll be fine,"_ came Jayla's words in his head. That was all he needed to get that boost of confidence back.

"Don't surrender yet. We still have our secret weapon on our side," Jaden told him.

"Remember, we believe in duel monsters with all of our hearts while Paradox does not. And when you believe, you have hope," Yugi added.

"Maybe it would be better if I show you what we mean. I play, The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh. So we can add a Kuriboh or Winged Kuriboh to our hand," Jaden said. He looked at Yugi. "You're up."

"Right. Kuriboh!" Yugi called. "I activate your ability. So by sending it to the graveyard, it allows Kuriboh to take the hit instead of us." A giant Kuriboh appeared in front of us and blocked the attack.

"No!" Paradox exclaimed as Kuriboh shattered and the three of us on the ground stared up at him with a glare. "Yugi, I'll make you pay dearly for that little stunt!"

"I don't think you will. Because at the end of this turn, Malefic Divides effect is gone which means Malefic Stardust Dragon will be gone," Yugi retorted. Malefic Stardust Dragon disappeared because, true to Yugi's words, the effect of Malefic Divide was completed.

"But not the real Stardust Dragon. Because with its ability, it now returns to the field," Jaden added.

The three of them turned as Yusei's dragon appeared. "Stardust Dragon… glad your back," he told his dragon. She gave him a small grumble of agreement.

"Yusei," Yugi called and the Signer turned to him. "It's up to you now. It's your move. Just know that we're behind you, all of us are."

Yusei nodded, thinking of all his friends in New Domino. He turned to the duel. "Alright, let's do this. For duel monsters and all my friends, and for the people of New Domino City."

Yugi nodded and Jaden exclaimed, "Yeah! No doubt! Now let him have it!"

"It will be my pleasure," Yusei responded. "I play a trap!"

The trap revealed itself and Paradox exclaimed, "Stardust Mirage! Oh no!"

"Oh, yes," the Signer retorted. "And since Stardust Dragon's on the field, I can bring back all of monsters that were destroyed during this turn!" Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Neos, and Junk Gardna appeared.

"But… I just got rid of all of them!" Paradox exclaimed.

"Now for our draw, and for your downfall, Paradox!" Yusei added.

"I hate to interrupt good trash talking; but here, this is worth it!" Jaden called. "The trap Neos Spiral Force! This doubles the attack points of one monster on the field (Stardust Dragon: Attack 5000)."

"I also play a trap! Dark Spiral Force!" Yugi added. "And due to this force, I can select a monster out on our field and double its attack points once again (Stardust Dragon: Attack 10,000)!"

"10,000 attack points? No!" Paradox exclaimed.

"That's right," Yugi, Jaden, and Yusei responded in unison. Dark Magician, Neos, and Stardust Dragon took to the air.

"Dark Magician, attack!" Yugi ordered.

"Elemental HERO Neos, attack!" Jaden followed.

"Let this be proof, the light will always overcome the dark! Go, Stardust Dragon! Attack!" Yusei continued.

Stardust Dragon shot a fury of sparkling, white fire, Dark Magician threw dark purple orbs of light that circled around the fire, and Neos threw some of his attack which led to a orange spiraling force wrapping and twirling around the fire.

"Now, go, Dark Cosmic Wave!" the three duelists exclaimed.

"No! NO!" Paradox exclaimed while he was sent away and Malefic World disappeared signalling that the three good duelists won the duel. They all sighed in relief.

. . .

The sun was setting and Jaden and Yusei were beside Yugi as they waited to say goodbye to our friend.

"Well looks like our work is done here," Jaden stated.

"Looks that way," Yugi responded.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye then. Great meeting you both. Hey, think we'll meet again sometime?" Jaden said.

"Yeah. But when we do, let's hope the whole world of duel monsters isn't on the line again," Yusei said.

"You said it, Yusei. Maybe we could duel each other. Whatever happens, I'm sure the bond we formed here today is one that's going to stand the test of time," Yami agreed.

"All of time," Jaden said putting his hand out.

"Absolutely," Yusei said placing his on the forming pile.

Yugi followed the gesture placing his hand on the other three's. Yusei sat on his duel runner with Jaden as he was going to drop the young duelist at his time, but he was a bit worried Jayla would end up being left behind. But he felt her familiar hand grab his arm, silently telling him she would be by his side the entire way there. As such, the three duelists, visible and invisible, left with the Crimson Dragon.

. . .

After dropping Jaden off, Yusei found himself back on the overlook. He looked out to see the city in one piece. "The city's okay," he muttered relieved. He turned as Jayla appeared beside him and he immediately looked at her relieved. Almost immediately after, he took her into his arms and held her close. "Thank God you're alright…" he whispered into her hair.

"Thank you for coming for me, Yusei," Jayla told him.

"I would always come for you," he responded pulling back and holding her cheek while staring straight into her eyes that he had missed in that short amount of time.

"I was so scared, Yusei," she told him in a shy whisper, looking down a bit. "His power was so dark, and frighteningly powerful. When I first attacked Jaden, I had tried to stop myself. But his power…"

"It's fine, Jayla," he reassured. She looked at him cautiously. "You're back and Paradox is gone. And I will never let anything like that happen to you again."

They heard laughing and Leo and Luna calling their names. When they looked, he saw Jack, Crow, Akiza, and the twins running to them.

' _We'll see what the future has in store for us,'_ Yusei thought. _'Because that future Paradox spoke about won't happen here. We'll all make sure of it.'_


	49. One Darkness Taking Two Lives

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 49**

 **One Darkness Taking Two Lives**

Jayla's POV

My eyes slowly fluttered open as I woke up. My head was pounding and my body felt heavy. That's when I noticed I was in a cage with my arms chained to a wall by my wrists. I was immediately awake and alert.

I looked around for any sign of where I was or what happened. I didn't find either of those, but I did see something… And I was scared about it.

It was a glowing stone from a Dragon Protector sitting on a small table in the distance. Not only that, but it had wires studying its energy readings and its energy being pulled out bit by bit. I knew it couldn't have been Arch's, Wing's, or Ancient's stone. Especially since when a Dragon Protector dies from means like they did, their stones instantly lose their power.

I immediately looked at my chest to make sure it wasn't mine. I sighed in relief to see it wasn't. _'But, that means the only one that stone can belong to is…'_ I stopped my thought process then and there and called, "Rose! Rose, where are you?"

"Oh, Rose won't be around anymore," came Primo's voice. I turned as he came into the light. He was quickly followed by Jakob and Lester.

Jakob slowly told me, "We told you we'd be coming back."

I yanked at my chains, trying to contain my fear. But they wouldn't break or even creak. I looked at them with a stubborn face. "What did you do to Rose?"

"What do you think?" Primo asked.

I went wide eyed in worry. _'She's dead… She's really gone now. And if these people have her stone… what're they going to do with me?'_ I looked at the men. "If you have Rose's stone, what do you need me for?"

"It seems her stone alone isn't strong enough to suit our needs," Jakob replied.

"Yeah, and you're the only Dragon Protector left," Lester continued. "You should really thank Rose for making you the only one left. After all, we all know once your stone is out, it's bye-bye!" He laughed depravedly.

Primo opened my cage and began to walk in. "And it's time for it now," he stated with a malicious grin. "You'll be able to thank Rose wherever the Dragon Protectors go when they die."

"Stay back!" I ordered and another darkly energized pulse wave was sent off throwing him into a wall, but did not succeed in knocking him out.

"Still can't control that little power of yours, can you?" Primo asked with a scowl.

"I don't even want that power. The Earthbound Immortals basically use it against my will," I replied.

"Good thing we have this," Jakob stated. He came in and clipped a metal band on my upper arm. "This wristband blocks all your energy and abilities. That ensures you won't be sending another pulse wave again."

Primo came back up and unlocked my chains, but immediately grabbed my wrists, holding them behind my back to ensure I couldn't escape. He pushed my onto a metal surgery table. He and Lester locked my hands neck to my head before Primo wrapped another clamp around my shoulders, while Jakob clamped down my waist and ankles.

"Let me go!" I ordered, becoming more and more fearful for my life.

"Primo, we'll leave this to you," Jakob stated. "Call if you need help."

"I don't think I'll have many problems," he responded. They nodded and left the area. "Don't worry, Stardust Dragon, we'll be done soon and you'll be free of this world."

"Let me go, Primo," I ordered again. "That stone is the main thing keeping the Immortals from taking control of me. If you take it out, I won't die and the Immortals will take control and wreak havoc on you and everyone. You can't take it out!"

"You really expect me to believe you?" he retorted, nearing the scalpel to my chest.

"Primo, look into my eyes! Do you see any lies?" I tried. He didn't seem to be listening at this point and began to cut through my skin, making me cry out in pain and wince.

Every ounce of my body wanted to pull away, to run, but I was locked down completely and I wasn't even a full Dragon Protector. If Rose, a full Dragon Protector, couldn't escape this fate, I had little to no chance.

I tried to call Primo to listen. But all attempts to speak were lost in my cries of pain as he cut deeper and deeper into me in order to reach my stone of a heart. Tears were beginning to escape at the overwhelming pain.

' _Yusei… Help me…'_ I thought before I blacked out from the pain.


	50. In Time

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 50**

 **In Time**

Yusei's POV

It had almost been a full day since Jayla went missing and I was getting more and more worried by the second. Jack, Crow, Bruno, and Akiza had joined in the search and they were just as worried. I wasn't sure who took her; And I knew she was taken for a fact because I knew after last time she disappeared on her own, she wouldn't do it again. Not after what happened.

That's when I heard it. _"Yusei… Help me…"_ came Jayla's voice in my mind. Those three words struck fear in my heart. Whatever was going on was bad and I didn't like the overwhelming fear I could hear in her voice.

' _I'm coming, Jayla,'_ I thought, trying to console myself. _'Come on, give me a sign as to where you are.'_

As I neared the bridge leading to Satellite, my mark lit up. It was a bit dim, but it was light it was a tracking device leading to Jayla. I turned towards Satellite and it got brighter.

"Yusei, anything?" Crow called.

"My mark lit up a bit, and it getting brighter once I turned towards Satellite. I think it's trying to lead me to Jayla," I answered.

"Head there, Yusei," Akiza told me. "When you find where she is, give us the coordinates. We'll meet you there."

"Until then, we'll continue the search in the city, in case that mark of yours in wrong," Jack stated.

"Alright," I agreed and hurried off towards it. _'Though my gut is telling me it's right.'_

I drove for a bit and eventually entered Satellite where it grew a bit brighter while I got a faint sense of her presence. _'She's definitely in Satellite,'_ I thought.

I continued to drive around for another couple minutes before I pulled to a stop as my mark grew the brightest it could and burned bad. I looked around me. There were two building, but one was completely collapsed in on itself, making it impossible for anyone to be inside. I turned to the one closest to me before hearing an unconscious crying.

I immediately tried to yank the door open only to find it was locked tight. _'Dammit…'_ I cursed. I looked around before seeing a staircase leading to a second floor. I silently climbed it, thankful it was still sturdy.

I turned to the doorway which had lost its door and just as quietly walked in. I found myself on a upper level balcony like hallway looking down into the main floor of the building. I looked down and saw Jayla unconscious, cringing in pain while Primo was performing a surgery where her heart was.

' _He's trying to get her stone to take her energy,'_ I thought worried and slightly infuriated. I looked and noticed another stone that glowed with energy sat on another table, though its energy was being drained. _'That must be a Dragon Protector's stone. But whose is it?'_ I shook my head to clear my thoughts. _'I can worry about that later. First I need to stop Primo before he kills Jayla. Or worse…'_

"You certainly have a lot of muscle surrounding your heart, little Jayla," Primo told her, despite being unconscious.

I hurried down the steps that led to the main floor behind Primo and still inside the building. I grabbed Primo just as he pull the stone out of Jayla's chest. Jayla seemed to get paler and paler quite quickly.

He looked at me. "A bit late, aren't you, Yusei?" he asked.

"Damn you, Primo!" I retorted. "Put that back right-" I looked behind him in worry and he followed only to go wide eyed in shock. A dark mist began to pour out of Jayla's incision and I knew what that meant. "Give me the stone now! Or else we'll all die here and there's no telling what'll happen to everyone else. Including those friends of yours."

"We need her energy," Primo retorted. "We will be able to reform the world, even if she turns dark."

"Primo, I mean it," I retorted. "None of you will survive if you don't put the stone back right now."

"It's not going to happen, Yusei," Primo responded.

"Then I'll just have to make you," I retorted before knocking him to the ground, the stone rolling out of his hand. I grabbed the scalpel with Jayla's blood on it along with another sharp tool and stabbed the ground through Primo's sleeves as deep as I could, locking him there. I grabbed the stone and hurried to Jayla.

I began to push the stone in her when she broke her arm closest to my hand free of the band she was locked in. She grabbed my wrist and I looked to see her eyes as a Dark Signers again. There was no sign of the Jayla I loved in those eyes. The Immortals had full control over her because of Primo and his friends and I knew the only way to bring her back was getting that stone back into its place.

She broke her other arm free and went to pull the stone out from its position. However, I immediately used my other, free hand and covered it while pushing it deeper into her making her wince a bit. She tried to pull my hand off, but I held it in place to ensure nothing could happen.

"You didn't come to save me in time," Jayla commented, her voice having the Earthbound Immortals darkness behind it. I knew that if the Immortals darkness was in her voice, it wasn't really her saying it.

But I had to try _something_ to get Jayla to resurface while I could feel the stone slowly sinking into place. "I tried, Jayla! I have been looking non-stop since you disappeared at two in the morning. I never stopped looking for you until I found you. I had grabbed Primo when he took the stone out. And I won't give up in saving you now and onwards! And I know the Immortals are making you say things you don't mean. Come on, Jayla, wake up from this!"

I looked as Primo got one hand free of the lock he was in and he pressed a button on his other wrist before teleporting away in a flash of light. I turned as Jayla's possessed self wrapped her arm, that wasn't be used to keep one of my hands in place, around my back. I knew what was coming and I didn't care at the moment. Once Jayla woke up from this possession, I knew she would regret it.

But I said something to try to delay her, "I promise, Jayla, I will never let Primo take you again. I will not let him try to kill you again. Jayla, you're my entire world. I can't lose you!" I felt her flinch a bit in shock and recognition. _'She's there!'_ I thought a bit relieved. "Jayla, come on. I'm right here. I'm right by your side as always. And even during the Grand Prix when I'm dueling, I'll still be by your side even if it's not physical." Her threatening grip on my back weakened a bit more.

Suddenly, though, the Earthbound Immortals seemed to snap Jayla back to the farthest corners of her mind again. Her grip returned to full strength and before I knew what was next, she stabbed me with her dragon's claws again, but this time, I could feel them just barely touching what felt to be my left lung.

They didn't seem to puncture the lung which was good, but it still scratched it and put pressure on it a bit, forcing me to cough and I could taste a bit of blood in my mouth. I needed to snap her back to reality. _Now_. If she put any more pressure into my back, she would force the claws to puncture the lung which would no doubt result in my eventual death.

"Jayla, listen to me!" I called, keeping calm and the pain out of my voice. "I'm right here. Come back to me, please!"

That's when a light emanated from her surgical cut and I knew the stone was back in place. I heard the Immortals cry out in anger as they were pushed back into Jayla and Jayla was released from their control. She passed out almost immediately, but her hands at least changed into her human form before they fell. My lung hurt a bit from the scratches she no doubt left on them, but they seemed to be intact for the most part. At least Jayla was going to be alright, though.


	51. Forever

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 51**

 **Forever**

Yusei's POV

I panted a bit as the blood started to flow out now the thing blocking it was removed and I unlocked all her binds. However, I quickly fell to a knee to regain the bit of strength I could, panting and taking deep breaths. I heard Jayla groan signalling she was waking up. I shakily stood back up and held her face, trying to keep as much of my pain away from my face as possible.

Her eyes slowly opened and she looked at me seeming a bit weak. "Yusei…" she called in a weak whisper. She tried to sit up, but I held her down gently as she winced from her chest. "What happened?"

"Those Emperors grabbed you and took out that stone of yours. I barely got here in time to get it back and save you," I explained.

"Was I… taken over again?" she asked sadly and ashamedly, looking at the blood on her hand.

"It wasn't your fault, Jayla. With the stone out, you had no power to fight the Immortals and were practically dead, giving them full control," I responded gently. "It wasn't your fault, at all. It was those Emperors' fault for giving the Immortals full access to you."

"How bad did I hurt you?" she asked, looking away from me now.

I gently pulled her face towards me and corrected sternly, "Did _they_ hurt me." She looked at me shocked. "Jayla, it wasn't you who hurt me. It may have been your body, but it was the Immortals who hurt me. Do you understand?" She gave a small nod, though she still seemed unsure. I looked at her incision and was a bit shocked to see it mostly healed. _'Most likely, the Earthbound Immortals' power,'_ I thought. I noticed a few rolls of bandages off to the side. "Here, let me wrap that injury of yours."

She looked down a bit and noticed the blood still dripping from my back. "Let me try to help you first, Yusei. You're still bleeding bad," she told me. "You probably need stitches fast." I sighed. I knew she was right. But there was no way we could explain this one to the doctors without the truth which would put Jayla in the Facility for this. I wasn't going to let that happen.

She obviously knew the same thing because she looked at the medical table and noticed some stitch equipment with me. _'He was probably going to stitch her up to ensure no one could put the stone back easily, before he knew what the Immortals would do after he took the stone out,'_ I thought.

"L-Let me try to stitch you up," she suggested. "I learned a bit from Martha when I was younger. I should be able to do it."

I sighed, but I knew it was the only option we had at the moment. I wasn't going to be able to ride even to Martha's with me losing as much blood as I was, even with Jayla driving. And we couldn't go to the hospital. "Alright," I agreed.

The injury she had had sealed a bit when the Immortals had their control of her, so she wasn't losing blood as bad as before.

She had my take off my jacket and shirt which she seemed a bit reluctant at the shirt, but she had to in order to do the stitches, and had me sit beside her on the table she was on. She grabbed the equipment and I fought the pain as she stitched the four punctures she had given me until they were all completely sealed.

She turned to see some water dripping from a rain pipe since it had started raining a bit and grabbed a small bowl. She took some of the water and came back. She poured a bit gentle and slow on the now sealed areas to make sure they were clean on the outside. She then grabbed some bandages and wrapped it around my back and chest until the stitches were covered.

As I slowly put my upperwear clothes back on, ignoring the bit of pain which was shockingly a lot more minimal than I was expected, Jayla said, "We'll have to be careful with using your back and making sure the others don't see it."

I nodded in agreement. They wouldn't like it, if they found out I was injured from Jayla being controlled again. At least she seemed to know what she was doing when she stitched up the injuries. It still hurt to breathe slightly, but it was easy to ignore since it wasn't that bad.

I turned to Jayla. "Here, let me at least cover your chest. As much as it is healed, it's still bleeding a bit," I told her. I knew this would be awkward for both of us since the incision was made just above her breasts, but even she knew it had to be done to ensure it didn't get infected or anything. She gave a small nod of agreement.

I helped her pull her shirt off since she seemed to be in a lot of pain still, which shocked me since she was able to do my back so well, but I was being careful of where I touched so I wouldn't bother her too much. I needed to get that injury covered. I was thankful she was wearing a bra since it would've been too uncomfortable if she wasn't.

I grabbed the bandages and leftover water she had from when she cleaned my area. She pulled the straps of her bra down so it was easier for the bandages to go under the straps. I carefully cleaned the injury a bit with the water. After the injury was clean enough, I grabbed the last bandage wrap and even more carefully wrapped it around her back and chest, keeping it just above her bra line and a bit tight to stop the bleeding.

I gave a small sigh of relief as I tied the bandage off. It wouldn't have been a big deal to some men to have to go near a woman's breast like this, but I wasn't like them. I had learned better than to be happy with being so close to them. It wasn't right, in my opinion.

Martha was always the one who helped the girls and woman that came into the clinic when I was younger. Yes, she helped the boys and men when it came to the chest since there wasn't any major… special areas there, but the girls and woman were for her alone since they had their breasts. She had always insisted that we could only see those areas when we married a girl. Until then, it wasn't right to look at them or anything similar. So to have to do this much was as uncomfortable for me as it obviously was for Jayla.

"Alright," I told her as I pulled back. "You should be fine now."

She put her shirt and jacket on and the bandages could be seen. The incision would've been able to be seen anyways. "They'll be able to see the bandages," she muttered a bit embarrassed.

"We can just say that Primo had got you and was trying to get your stone out of you. I was able to get him away but you were bleeding really bad and I had to do something to help," I replied. She looked at me a bit shocked. "I don't want them to know it wasn't bleeding so bad and I still got that close to… you, either. Martha always told us that we shouldn't do that to girls unless we absolutely needed to or until we were married. So if we say you were bleeding badly, it'll seem okay. For all of them."

"Yeah," Jayla agreed. "I guess that's true. It's a lot better than anything else. I'm just a bit shocked you would be willing to lie to our friends like that."

"I just don't want you to feel so comfortable because you had to say you were allowing me to get that close to your breasts when it wasn't as bad as would really matter," I replied. She gave a small nod, relief of my understanding on her face. "To be honest, I'm a bit shocked you would allow it."

"I-I mean, it was a bit awkward. It's just… After being together like we have and for so long, I guess it was just a bit easier to accept as long as it was just between us," Jayla explained. "I was kind of hoping you would make sure it was just between us."

I gave her a small, loving smile before giving her a soft kiss which she returned in an instant. When I pulled back, I whispered, "And I'll make sure we'll be the way we are forever. Because I'll never be able to love anyone else." She gave me a small smile, nodding slightly. "Come on, we should probably contact the others and get back to the garage."

"Right," she agreed seeming a bit nervous.

I hugged her gently and whispered, "It'll be alright." She nodded in acceptance while returning the hug, being careful of my back. I stood up and helped her up with me. We walked back to my runner as we sat down with Jayla behind me.

I contacted my friends who immediately responded with Jack exclaiming, "Yusei, there you are! We were getting worried."

"Did you find, Jayla?" Akiza asked.

"Yeah, and I got her. I'll explain everything when we get back to the garage," I replied. They nodded in acceptance and hung up with me following. I looked back at Jayla who nodded before I took off.

When we arrived back at the garage, with the others the first to get there, I explained everything and when I mentioned the other stone there, they were also confused while Jayla looked sad.

"Do you know whose it was, Jayla?" Crow asked. She gave a small, sad nod. "Whose was it?" She just looked at Akiza and that's when we all realized it. "Rose? No, you have to be lying! How do you know?"

"When a Dragon Protector dies like how Arch, Wing, and Ancient did, their stones lose all their power and if you saw them out of their body, they would be dull and grey," she replied looking down in sadness. "The stone that was there wasn't. And it wasn't mine, either. So the only other one it could've been was Rose's. Besides, I felt her faint energy signature in there. It was hers." She looked at Akiza. "I'm so sorry, Akiza. If I had known she was taken or been able to save her if I had seen her before I woke up, I would've tried."

"I'm surprised you would, after all she's done to you and the others," Akiza responded.

"No matter how many times she's hurt me, she's still a Dragon Protector at heart. We really needed her in this fight. And now…" Jayla trailed off.

Akiza looked down, seeming sad and a bit ashamed. I knew she felt like her sending Rose off resulted in this. As such, I told her, "It's not your fault, Akiza. Don't worry. You made the right choice at the time to send her off. She needed to clear her head. None of us knew this happened. We didn't even know they would take Jayla and do this."

"He's right," Crow agreed. "I mean, even after they said that they would 'come back' to Jayla."

"They're right, Akiza," Jayla told her. "You shouldn't blame yourself. No one was expecting it."

"Thanks, guys," she responded looking at us again. "I appreciate it." They looked at the time. "Anyway, it's getting late. I need to get home and finish some homework."

"Go ahead, Akiza," I told her. "If you need anything or if anything happens, let us know."

"Right," she agreed. "Thanks." They nodded and she left with that.

"Think she'll be alright, Yusei?" Jayla asked.

"She'll be fine, I'm sure," I reassured.

"Yeah, knowing Akiza, she'll be fine in the end," Crow agreed.

"I guess you're right," Jayla agreed.

"Why don't we head to bed and get some rest?" Bruno suggested. "We've had quite the day and I'm sure Jayla needs some sleep so she can heal."

"Right," I agreed. Jayla looked down, obviously reluctant. "I'll stay with you while you sleep, alright?" She nodded slowly and I guided her back. I was thankful the others didn't seem to notice the holes in my jacket and shirt. I knew I'd be feeling their uncertain stare if they did. We entered my room and I lied Jayla down, sitting at her side. I covered her with the blanket and held her face lovingly. "Get some sleep. I'll be right here as always." She gave a small nod before closing her eyes. I watched as she fell into a deep sleep and it was obvious she wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

With her sleeping so heavily, I carefully got up and changed my shirt so they wouldn't stand a chance at seeing the hole in the shirt too which would raise some questions. My back and lung still hurt a bit, but it wasn't too bad. Jayla really did know what she was doing. I was shocked a bit since she learned at a young age, but she really did a good job.

Once my shirt was on, I decided to leave my jacket off and just sat at Jayla's side again. I knew I would be fine in the end. I was sure of it. But I was worried about Jayla. All that happening to her in one day, and not that long after Paradox either. Plus all those times before that… She was getting more and more scared which would make her easier prey to the Immortals. I had to find a way to make her stronger and more at ease. Before I lose her forever.


	52. Servants of the Gods

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 52**

 **Servants of the Gods**

Third Person POV

It had been a week since the incident with Primo. Jayla's chest was practically healed, beginning to scar over now. Yusei's back was still healing since his injuries were more severe and didn't have the help of the Immortals to heal as quickly as hers, but they were getting better. And Jayla's hidden skill in the medical field helped him a lot.

She wasn't a doctor or a trained expert by any means. However, she seemed to have learned a lot from Martha and Doctor Schmitt when she was younger which helped with the injury to his back. It actually relieved the two a bit, since he didn't have to go to Martha's or anywhere that would make his friends either curious or worry them.

Yusei had managed to help Jayla stay calm and less worried about everything going on. It was a struggle to do so, but he managed. He was a bit worried as to what would happen while he was dueling in the Grand Prix in this state. But he knew in his heart that as long as she was with the others, she'd be fine until he was back.

Now, it was the evening before the finals of the World Racing Grand Prix. At the present moment, Yusei, Jayla, Crow, and Jack had stopped at the overlook to talk about the coming events.

"So our next opponent is Team Ragnarok," Jack commented.

"They're said to be tough opponents. They have three Nordic God cards and people say they have the Rune Eyes," Yusei commented.

"Doesn't that mean they're successors of some Aesir ground?" Crow asked.

"Yep," Jayla replied. "They're tough opponents. Especially with their god cards. Not at tough as the legendary Egyptian God cards but tough nonetheless."

"Sounds like you think we'll be easy to beat," came a voice from behind. Dragan as Jayla knew him from what Arch had told her before he died.

They turned around and saw the three members of Team Ragnarok standing there. "Seems we finally meet somewhere other than a battlefield," Halldor stated.

"Seems so," Jayla responded.

"I say we should at least tell you about the Aesirs," Broder stated.

"Hmm, perhaps," Halldor agreed and immediately began to explain the tale of how the Aesirs came to be and how the members of Team Ragnarok came to obtaining the Aesirs. When the story was finished, Yusei was a bit tense but Jayla was perfectly calm unmoved by their words which might shake another duelist. "You are right about one thing, young Jayla. We are tough opponents. Tough enough where we will defeat you," Halldor responded to her.

"Do you really think you can stop Team New World?" Jack asked.

"Instead of going against Team New World apart, perhaps we should try to expose the plot of Team New World and help one another in that quest," Jayla stated.

"No," Halldor declared. "The Aesir are not willing to enter an alliance with the Crimson Dragon's Signers. Well, some of them anyway. I am still unsure how Jayla fits into your Signer life."

"It's too complicated for you to understand right now, Halldor. You'll learn it in the tournament, though, I'm sure," Jayla responded.

Halldor's left eye began to glow and formed a rune in the center. "I see. You house the very power of the light of the universe within you. Such a power that is even deadly but you control it well. Such a kind heart is created from this power. But I do see a darkness hidden deep inside all that light. However, I am shocked one so kind would spend time with one who is in the bloodline of someone who caused pain and destruction," he said.

Yusei tensed. "Zero Reverse was an accident," he told Halldor.

"Well, sort of. Roman Goodwin was convinced to by Yliaster and caused it himself. Professor Fudo wanted to stop the project before Zero Reverse occurred," Jayla stated.

"Is that so?" Halldor scoffed. "It was Professor Fudo's research that caused that explosion. It was his research."

"Either way, Halldor, it wasn't Professor Fudo's or Yusei's fault. Yusei was only a baby when Zero Reverse occurred," Jayla defended.

Yusei looked at her with a small hidden, inward smile. He was shocked and happy she was so keen on the facts that defended him and his father.

"Jayla's right. It isn't Yusei's father's fault and it isn't Yusei's either," Crow agreed.

"Even though it was his father's research, it wasn't his father who caused Zero Reverse. He tried to stop it, actually," Jayla told them.

"You truly believe that?" Halldor asked.

"Jayla would know it better than any of us," Jack stated. "Believe us on that."

"I'm shocked, Atlas. You seem liked you've changed quite a bit since the last time we dueled," Dragan stated.

"You fought him before Jack?" Crow asked.

"Once," Jack replied, "and beat him too."

"Don't you remember that duel better, Jack?" Dragan asked.

"I do," Jack answered.

 **~Flashback~**

Jack drew his card as he took the first draw. "I summon Top Runner (Attack 1100/ Defense 800) in attack mode and set two face downs," he declared.

Dragan drew his card. "I summon Garmr of the Nordic Beasts (Attack 800/ Defense 1900) in attack mode and finish my turn with a face down," he proclaimed.

"I summon Power Breaker (Attack 1900/ Defense 0) in attack position. Now I turn Power Breaker with Top runner to synchro summon Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2500)! Now attack his Garmr!" Jack ordered his dragon. Red Dragon Archfiend attacked and destroyed Garmr.

The duel ran forward but eventually, Dragan lost the duel.

 **~Flashback Ended~**

"Did you know I was forced to lose of purpose by Lazar and Former Director Goodwin in order to raise money for my father's hospitalization?" Dragan asked. Jack tensed.

"We will see you in the semifinal match soon enough, Team 5D's. The winner of this will receive the right to face Team New World," Halldor called. "Remember, the next time we meet may not be as pleasant."

"Talk about a confident bunch," Crow muttered.

"They have a right to be so. They're Nordic Gods are strong and line up just after Exodia," Jayla explained.

"Wait, Exodia the Forbidden One?" Crow asked. "As in one of the most powerful cards in Yugi Muto's time?"

"Yep. But just like Exodia, they have weak points. You just have to search for it," Jayla said. "For now, though, we'd better get to the garage so you guys can rest. You have a hard duel ahead of you. Plural if you count the one against Yliaster."

"Right, and we have to win," Yusei agreed. They all nodded and left on their duel runners.


	53. With the Soul of a Burning Nova

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 53**

 **With the Soul of a Burning Nova**

Jack's POV

"Duel fans of all ages, welcome to the semifinals where Team 5Ds is going up against the formidable Team Ragnarok! This will all boil down to what will be an incredible duel!" the MC called. I looked at Dragan who returned the gesture as we got ready to duel. The light flashed green and Dragan and I shot off like a bullet racing for the first turn. "And they're off!"

I was successful in taking the first turn and drew my card. "I summon Top Runner (Attack 1100/ Defense 800) in attack mode and set two cards face down to end my turn," I declared.

"Then it's my turn," Dragan stated drawing his card from his deck. "I summon Garmr of the Nordic Beasts (Attack 800/ Defense 1900) in attack mode and set a face down. That's all for now."

I drew my card. "If we're reliving that old duel then this might add it up. "I summon Power Breaker (Attack 1900/ Defense 0) in attack mode. Now I tune Power Breaker with Top Runner to synchro summon a beast of great power. Come forth, Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000)!" I declared. "Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Garmr!"

"This will be different because I activate my face down known as Nordic Relic Brisingamen! This increases the attack of Garmr to equal the attack of Red Dragon Archfiend until the end phase (Garmr of the Nordic Beasts: Attack 3000)," Dragan returned. "Oh, and if Garmr destroys a monster by battle this turn, the attack of the destroyed monster will be inflicted to you as damage."

"Well I activate my face down, Reaction Summon to special summon Top Runner from my graveyard. And due to the effect of Top Runner, the attack of my face up synchro monsters increase by 600 (Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 3600)," I retorted. Red Dragon Archfiend destroyed Garmr in the one attack dropping Dragan's life points to 3400. I groaned in pain and that's when both our teams realized the all too real truth that the damage in this duel was going to be felt and real. "Just keep dueling, Dragan. We'll finish this one way or another."

"You really have changed," Dragan replied with an impressed grin. He then returned to the duel and became deadly serious again, "Since a monster I destroyed was destroyed by battle, I can special summon Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts (Attack 800/ Defense 1100) from my hand in defense position."

Though Top Runner went to attack Tanngnjostr, it failed due to the attack and defense of both monsters being equivalent. I only attacked to prevent Top Runner from being destroyed by the effect of my demonic looking dragon.

"I set a face down to end my turn," I responded. _'If Arch was here, he would be able to help this pain,'_ I thought. _'I'm sorry, Arch. I'll win this for you and your sacrifice to make sure I would live to do this. It's the least I can do.'_

Dragan drew his card. "I switch my Tanngnjostr into attack position. Because it switched battle position, I can activate its effect allowing me to special summon Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts (Attack 1200/ Defense 800) from my deck in attack mode. And since you control a synchro monster, I can special summon Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts (Attack 1600/ Defense 1000) from my hand," he declared. "Now I tune my Tanngnjostr and Tanngrisnir with Guldfaxe to synchro summon Thor: Lord of the Aesir (Attack 3500/ Defense 2800)! Now I activate the effect of Thor which negates the effects of your Top Runner until the end phase and have Thor gain Top Runner's effect for this turn only (Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 3000; Thor: Lord of the Aesir: Attack 4100). And now I think I'll have Thor attack that dragon!" Red Dragon Archfiend was destroyed and my life points plummeted to 2900. "I set two face downs and end my turn." Since Dragan had ended his turn, Thor's attack points returned to its normal 3500.

I drew my card. "I summon Barrier Resonator (Attack 300/ Defense 800) in defense mode. Next I switch Top Runner to defense and end my turn with a face down," I declared.

"My draw!" Dragan exclaimed drawing his card. "I activate Thor's effect negating Top Runner's effect for you and allowing me to use it until the end phase (Thor: Lord of the Aesir: Attack 4100). Now I activate Nordic Relic Mjollnir allowing Thor to attack twice this turn and allowing Thor to inflict 1000 points of direct damage to you should he destroy a monster in battle. Now Thor, attack that Barrier Resonator!" Thor did as he was told and Barrier Resonator was destroyed resulting my life points dropping to 1900. Thor then attacked and destroyed Top Runner with Mjollnir activating and dropping me to a mere 900 life points.

"I activate Tuner's Reflect. This re-summons both Barrier Resonator and Top Runner from my graveyard and inflicts battle damage straight to you equaling the combined attack points of the two monsters," I retorted and Dragan's life points dropped to 2000.

"I end my turn with one face down," Dragan declared and Thor's attack returned to his original 3500 again.

It was my turn again and I drew a card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing four speed counters, I can inflict 800 points of damage for every speed spell in my hand," I declared. I showed my Speed Spell- End of the Storm making my opponent's life points drop to 1200. "Next I activate Descending Lost Star allowing me to summon Red Dragon Archfiend from the graveyard in defense mode with its effects negated, its defense reduced to 0 and its level reduce by 1 (Red Dragon Archfiend: Defense 0/ Level 7). Now I double tune Red Dragon Archfiend with Top Runner and Barrier Resonator to synchro summon a monster of extraordinary power," I called.

"Double tuning?!" all three members of Team Ragnarok exclaimed in bewilderment.

"That's right. And with the power of this double tune, I will synchro summon my ultimate beast. Meet Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000)!" I declared.

"Due to the effect of Red Nova, it gains 500 attack points for every tuner monster in my graveyard (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 4500)," I informed Dragan. "Now Red Nova attack Thor: Lord of the Aesir!"

"I activate Raging Sacred Curse!" Dragan responded. "This reduces Red Nova Dragon's attack and Defense by 2000 (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 2500/ Defense 1000). Next I activate Solemn Authority which prevents Thor from being affected by your trap cards for two turns."

"I activate Burning Rebirth!" I retorted. "By tributing Red Nova Dragon, I can special summon Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000) from my graveyard." Red Nova vanished leaving Red Dragon Archfiend in its place with Red Dragon Archfiend equipped with Burning Rebirth. "Now I activate the second effect of Burning Rebirth. By sending it and my Trap Eater from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000) from my graveyard." Since Burning Rebirth was removed from the field, Red Dragon Archfiend was also destroyed. "Now since there are three tuner monsters in my grave, Red Nova gains 1500 attack points (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 5000). Now Red Nova Dragon, attack Thor: Lord of the Aesir!" The attack pulled through and destroyed Thor and knocking Dragan's life points to 0 making me the winner.

"Before I'm down for the count, Thor's ability activates reviving him at a full 3500 attack points and dealing 800 points of direct damage at you," Dragan finished.

As my life points dropped to 100 points, Dragan passed the baton to Broder who went after me with Thor still in tow.

Broder drew his card. "I set two face downs and activate Thor's effect which negates Red Nova Dragon's effect and grants Thor his effects until the end phase (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 3500)," he declared. "Now Thor, attack Red Nova Dragon!" As the attack hit, both monsters were destroyed due to the equaling attack points. Broder ended his turn reviving Thor and knocking my life points to 0 with its effect making Broder the winner.

I came over and Crow took off. _'I at least beat Dragan,'_ I thought to console myself for losing against Broder. But Broder was guaranteed to win either way. But I knew this was going to be a hard duel for Crow. I knew all we could do is hope he would be alright.


	54. Tricking the Trickster

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 54**

 **Tricking the Trickster**

Third Person POV

As Crow caught up to Broder, Bruno stated, "There are still two more of these god cards."

"Knowing Crow, he won't allow the second one to be summoned," Yusei responded. He looked at Jayla and noticed the tense atmosphere around his girlfriend. "Something wrong, Jayla?"

She sighed and slowly said while looking at Crow through the monitor, "I just feel like this won't be as easy for Crow as you think. Broder is also known as the Trick Star, after all. And if the attacks and damage was real…"

"We just have to hope Crow won't be hurt too bad. Crow will find a way, though," Yusei assured. She slowly nodded in acceptance.

Crow's POV

"I'll beat you in a second, Crow," Broder told me.

"Don't underestimate me," I responded. I drew my card calling, "I'll bring out the power of my Blackwings. Since you control a monster and I don't, I can summon Blackwing- Sirocco the Dawn (Attack 2000/ Defense 900) in attack position with tribute. And now since I control a Blackwing monster, I can special summon Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind (Attack 1300/ Defense 400) in attack mode. I then activate Gale's effect to halve the attack and defense of Thor (Thor, Lord of the Aesir: Attack 1750/ Defense 1400) until the end phase. And now since the total levels of the Blackwing monster I control are at least eight, I can special summon Blackwing- Calima the Haze (Attack 600/ Defense 1800) from his hand in attack position with its effect. Now I tune Blackwing- Calima the Haze with Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind in order to synchro summon. Rise, Blackwing Armor Master (Attack 2500/ Defense 1500)! Blackwing Armor Master, attack Thor!" The attack destroyed Broder's monster and his life points fell to 3250. "Sirocca, attack Broder directly!" The man's fell to 1250.

"I activate my face down, The Golden Apples! This increases my life points by the battle I took this turn and summon a Malus Token which attack and defense equals that amount (Attack 2750/ Defense 2750)," Broder defended.

"I set two cards face down and my end turn," I finished. And due to it being the end phase, Thor's effect, it was revived and inflicted 800 to me. As such, my life points fell to 3200 and I cried out in pain.

Broder drew his card and Solemn Authority was destroyed due to its last effect. "I activate the effect of Thor. This negates the effects of Blackwing Armor Master and granting those effects to Thor until the end phase. Malus Token, attack Blackwing- Sirocco the Dawn!" Broder ordered and the attack destroyed my monster while dropping my life points to 2450. "Thor, attack Blackwing Armor Master!" My last monster was destroyed and my life points fell to 1450.

"Since two Blackwing monsters were destroyed the same turn, I can special summon Blackwing- Brisote the Tailwind (Attack 1200/ Defense 1800) in attack position," I played. "I activate my face down, Black Return! This increases my life points by the attack of Thor, Lord of the Aesir and return it to your extra deck."

"I activate Nordic Relic Laevateinn! This destroys Thor due to it destroying a monster in a battle this turn," Broder fought. "And since your Black Return's target was removed, its effect of Black Return is negated." He smirked. "I set a face down and end my turn. And since it's the end phase, you know what that means, don't you?" Thor rose again and inflicted another 800 points of damage to me, dropping my life points to 650.

' _I'm well below the safety line,'_ I thought in worry. _'If Broder has a speed spell in his hand next turn, I lose.'_ As we completed the lap, I passed the kids and they cheer for me.

Broder stated, "I had kids that I, myself, protect. But yours can't count on Team 5D's to protect the children and defeat Yliaster." That caught my attention. "I used to be a treasure hunter, to be honest. But that changed when I met a bunch of kids who were lone survivors of a war. I wouldn't leave the island as there were no other adults to really take care of the kids. Eventually, parents came to adopt them, but I'd heard rumors of the organization that triggered the war. That's not something I can just brush off."

' _This far-reaching organization is Yliaster!'_ I realized. _'That's the mission Broder is determined to follow no matter what: defeating Yliaster. I can't give up here.'_ I drew my card. "I summon Blackwing- Blizzard the Far North (Attack 1300/ Defense 0) in defense mode and activate its effect. This revives Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind (Attack 1300/ Defense 400) in defense mode. Then I activate my face down Blackboost to draw two cards since I control at least two Blackwing monsters. After that, I activate the Speed Spell- Speed Force! This prevents you from destroying my cards through spells and traps until my next standby phase. Next I activate the effect of Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind to halve Thor's attack and defense (Thor, Lord of the Aesir: Attack 1750/ Defense 1400). Now I tune Blackwing- Brisote the Tailwind with Blackwing- Gale the Whirlwind to synchro summon. Rise up, Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600)! And now since Brisote was sent to the graveyard as a synchro material, its effect activates, increasing my life points by 600." My life points jumped to 1250. "Black-Winged Dragon, attack Thor!" The attack succeeded and Broder's life points fell to 2950. "I set a face down and end my turn."

"Well, that means Thor's back and inflicts another 800 points of damage at you," Broder responded.

"Not quite, Broder," I retorted shocking him. "See, my dragon's got an effect. By placing a Blackwing Counter on it and decrease its attack and defense points (Black-Winged Dragon: Attack 2100/ Defense 1600), I can avoid damage."

Though he was frustrated, Broder stayed calm and continued the duel, "I summon Ljosalf of the Nordic Alfar (Attack 1400/ Defense 1200) in attack position and activate its effect to special summon Svartalf of the Nordic Alfar (Attack 1400/ Defense 1600) in attack position. Now I tune Malus Token with Ljosalf with Svartalf to synchro summon. Rise, Loki, Lord of the Aesir (Attack 3300/ Defense 3000)!"

"Loki, attack Black-Winged Dragon!" Broder ordered.

"I activate Black Sonic! This removes from play all of your attack position monsters," I defended.

"I activate Loki's effect! It negates the effect of Black Sonic and destroys it," Broder fought. Loki continued the attack against Black-Winged Dragon and destroyed it while dropping my life points to a mere 50. "Thor, attack Blizzard the Far North!" The attack succeeded and destroyed my monster.

I drew my card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing seven speed counters, I can draw one card. I then set two face downs and end my turn," I played.

Broder drew his card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2 as well! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy one of your set cards!" he declared and the card destroyed was Black Wing. "Loki, attack Crow directly!"

"I activate my other face down Black Wing! This negates the attack by removing from play one Blackwing from my graveyard," I defended.

"I activate the effect of Loki! This negates the effect of Black Wing and destroys it," Broder fought.

"I remove Blackwing- Calima the Haze from my graveyard to revive Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600)!" I declared and my dragon returned to my side.

"Well, Loki, attack that dragon!" Broder ordered.

"I activate the second effect of Black Wing! By removing the two Black Wings in my graveyard, I can destroy both Black-Winged Dragon and Loki and inflict the attack of Loki as damage to you," I fought.

Broder's life points fell to 0 but Broder then called, "I activate my face down Dromi the Sacred Shackles! This inflicts damage at you equal to the difference between Black-Winged Dragon and Loki." The assault hit and the duel ended in a draw. But due to it being Broder's end phase, Loki returned to the field.

Broder and I passed the batons to Halldor and Yusei and both duelists sped forward to duel against each other.

I looked at Jayla who seemed a bit worried. I wasn't sure if it was for Yusei or something else, but she seemed worried. I didn't like it, but I knew I couldn't question her at the moment. We needed to focus on the duel. So I turned to the final duel which would decide everything.


	55. What is Within

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 55**

 **What is Within**

Yusei's POV

I drew my card to begin the duel. "I summon Cosmic Compass (Attack 100/ Defense 300) in defense mode," I declared. "Now since I normal summoned it, I can activate its effect allowing me to summon a Compass Token for each of your monsters that you control. And since you control two, I can summon two Compass Tokens in defense mode (Attack 0/ Defense 0 for each token). Finally I set two face downs." Halldor drew his card and I was quick to activate one of my face downs, "I activate Monster Chain! This places a counter of Monster Chain for each monster I control which it three so Monster Chain gains 3 counters. While Monster Chain is face up, neither player can declare an attack but during your end phase, Halldor, I must remove a Chain Counter and when it has no Chain Counters, Monster Chain is destroyed." This put the gods in a chain not allowing them to attack.

"I summon Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant (Attack 400/ Defense 800) in attack position," he began. "Next I activate its effect! By sending Interdimensional Matter Transporter and Baton of the Hero from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon two Einherjar Tokens (Attack 1000/ Defense 1000 for both) in defense mode. Now I tune my two tokens with Valkyrie in order to synchro summon. I call forth, Odin, Father of the Aesir (Attack 4000/ Defense 3500)!" he declared and his monster rose up. "I activate Odin's effect making all divine- beast type monsters unaffected by spells and traps for one turn meaning it is not affected by Monster Chain for now. Now, Loki, Thor, attack his Compass Tokens!" The two monster tokens were destroyed with ease. "And finally Odin, attack his Cosmic Compass!" My final monster shattered to pieces, leaving me defenseless of monsters. "Finally I set a face down and end my turn. Now do you see Yusei, you won't be able to defeat me. Now, perhaps it is time I tell you how I ended up gaining the right to wield Odin." I didn't respond, allowing Halldor to explain his travels around the world and strengthening himself to gain the right to wield Odin. "Which is why you will not win. You see, you're the very last obstacle in my way to saving the world. But you won't be standing in my way for long, the gods will see to that. Which is why I offer you a chance to leave this with at least some of your dignity intact. I offer you the chance to surrender. Otherwise, you will feel the full force of my three chilling powerhouses!"

"Is that so? You know, I think it's time I told you a little tale of my own, Halldor. You see, you're not the only one who's come all the way to the Grand Prix to fight for something," I retorted.

"What do you mean, Yusei?" Halldor asked.

"You know what I mean," I replied as I was thinking about how Halldor accused me of being able to cause the same damage my father's research did. "My heart didn't want to believe what you said could be true, but then I remembered a dream about my father. In it he warned me of a great danger." The sounded of an echo reached both our ears and we looked up. "I know what that is now. It's the Divine Temple and my father's shadow."

"Your father's shadow?" Halldor repeated.

"You see, I was born on the same day that this city nearly perished," I informed. "Was it coincidence? Or was it something much more? Something to do with the Fudo family? Even though Zero Reverse was not my father's fault, he was a part of it. So maybe there something about my bloodline that brings doom and despair; and if that turns out to be the case, then I'll do what I must to stop it. Just as I'll stop Team New World. You see, I've realized something important: Nothing will ever change what happened here in New Domino City, the only thing I can control is what happens next! So that's just what I plan to do."

"I see," Halldor responded.

"So to answer your question, no, Halldor, there's no way I'll ever surrender!" I answered. My mark glowed and I knew it was followed by the others.

All the marks combined onto my back giving me the Mark of the Crimson Dragon.

"What in the world?" Halldor responded to my mark. "That's the Mark of the Crimson Dragon!"

"Yes, because she's the only one strong enough to take on your Nordic God. Now then, it's my turn!" I responded and drew my card. "I play the Speed Spell- Angel Baton! Since I have at least two speed counters, I can draw two additional cards from my deck by sending one card in my hand to the graveyard. Next I summon forth, Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000)!"

"It's a tuner monster. He's planning a synchro," Halldor realized.

"And when Debris Dragon is summoned, I get summon a monster with five hundred or less attack points straight from my graveyard. And the monster I choose is Cosmic Compass," I responded. "And now since a tuner monster is on my field, I can summon from my graveyard, Quillbolt Hedgehog (Attack 800/ Defense 800)! Next up, since a monster was summoned from my graveyard, I can summon this monster from my hand: Dopplewarrior (Attack 800/ Defense 800)! But I'm not through yet. Dopplewarrior, tune with Quillbolt Hedgehog and Debris Dragon! Now out of three will come on, and out of one will come great cosmic might. I synchro summon, the synchro monster Stardust Dragon!" I could sense Jayla within my dragon.

"Your ultimate beast, but it doesn't matter. Stardust Dragon is still no match for my Nordic Gods," Halldor stated. But then he seemed to notice something. "There's something within that dragon. A familiar power." He focused before he exclaimed, "Jayla's Stardust Dragon!"

"She's a Dragon Protector, Halldor," I told her. I knew she wasn't a full Dragon Protector anymore, but some of that side of her was still there. I could tell, even if she didn't acknowledge it herself.

"Dragon Protector?" my opponent questioned.

"The Dragon Protectors are born from the Crimson Dragon's power and the sun's light together. Each Signer has their own Protector and that Protector protects them by any means necessary, even if we don't like it," I explained. "Jayla is my Protector."

"I see…" Halldor muttered, obviously shocked we had such a protector for us. Though he didn't know I was the only one with my half-Protector left.

"Now let's get back to the duel," I decided. "I activate Dopplewarrior's ability. When it's used in a synchro summon, I'm allowed to bring out one Dopple Token to my field. Then from my hand I activate the Speed Spell- Overtune!" I declared. "Due to Overtune, since I have five speed counters, I am now allowed to release one monster on my field. And in exchange, I can summon one tuner monster from my hand that has the same level."

"Wait, just what's going on here?" Halldor questioned.

"I release level one Dopple Token, and summon Majestic Dragon (Attack 0/ Defense 0)!" I continued. "Now Cosmic Compass and Majestic Dragon, tune with Stardust Dragon! You were wrong when you called Stardust Dragon my ultimate beast Halldor; this is my ultimate beast. I now synchro summon, the Majestic Star Dragon (Attack 3800/ Defense 3000)!" It raised to the field, proud and strong.

"They're something about that beast," Halldor commented on the field. He stared at it and the Crimson Dragon could be seen through his rune eye. "This monster in the incarnation of the Crimson Dragon!"

"And Jayla's still there, ready to help me," I added.

Halldor nodded and said calmly, "But it matters not for this duel. After all, even she cannot attack."

"Now since Cosmic Compass was used to synchro summon, I get to make an additional draw," I declared. "Next I throw down a face down. Then, I end my turn. And now that I have I activate a face down. The trap Star Force. By paying 1000 life points, I can negate the effect of one monster until the next turn. And I negate the effects of Majestic Star Dragon to prevent it from returning it my extra deck."

"It's my turn." Halldor drew his card. "Dear Yusei, I applaud your effort to keep fighting, but as you can see, Odin out matches your dragon by 200 points and even if he didn't, you'd better believe I've taken extra precautions to secure my victory regardless. Precautions such as this one, I activate a trap card. Odin's Eye! And I'm afraid, Yusei, that your Majestic Star Dragon's ability cannot negate the activation of this card."

"It's not?" I questioned shocked.

"That's right, Yusei. When a god is on the field, nothing can negate the effect of Odin's Eye and that being the case, this trap activates," Halldor declared. "Now by negating the abilities of a god card, I'm allowed to look at your hand or a face down on your field. And I think I'll choose to look at your face down, Yusei." Odin's metal eye opened and Halldor grinned and stated, "I see. How interesting, you're face down card is Wave Rebound. That means on this very turn, if a synchro was summoned from the graveyard, you could negate that summoning and then you could deal damage equal to what that synchro's attack points were. A very cunning scheme you have planned and I do believe if you had managed to execute your scheme at this present moment, you would have won the duel. However, I think you know quite well I won't be letting that happen. Not a chance, not since I've seen it coming. Ah, Yusei, this is how it should be. Perhaps it is not as exciting for the crowd, but I assure you, it is exciting for me. After all, the very best part of a chess match, such as this, is the moment the players just sit and strategize. And given the present state of this duel of ours, well, that's what we must do now. I place one card face down and end my turn."

"It's my turn," I stated drawing my card. "First I use the effect of Speed World 2. Now by removing seven of my speed counters, I can draw an extra card. Next, to extend the effect of Stay Force, I will pay 1000 life points. Now, Majestic Star Dragon no longer has to leave the field. With that, I end my turn."

"It's my draw," Halldor declared drawing his card. "Now then, time to end this once and for all. That's right, Yusei, I know the prevailing wisdom has us all waiting for Monster Chain to expire but it's like I said, the best part of the duel is when the players take time to strategize. Well, I have strategized, Yusei, and now I'm ready to implement that strategy. So here it comes. Odin, I activate your special ability! Now the effect used by Monster Chain to stop Odin is negated."

"Then I play my Majestic Star Dragon's ability! As you well know Halldor, when you use Odin's ability, I can release Majestic Star Dragon and negate that ability," I retorted. "Then all the cards on your field are destroyed." All of Halldor's cards were destroyed as I had stated.

"I'll now place a card face down and end my turn," Halldor declared. "Which means we're at the end phase and my Nordic god returns. So rise, Odin, Loki, and Thor!"

"You asked for it Halldor, I activate my trap, Wave Rebound!" I declared.

"Tell me, Yusei, are you happy with your plan?" Halldor asked. "Because I am happy with it. In fact, I couldn't be happier and do you know why?"

I turned. "I think you're about to show me."

"I activate a trap from my graveyard," Halldor declared.

"From your graveyard?" I repeated shocked.

"That's correct. Gjallarhorn! This trap unleashes its effect only when six feet under, and it's quite the effect," Halldor stated. The card activated and a person came from within it blowing a horn. "Do you hear that Yusei? That's the sound of your complete and utter destruction! That's the sound of victory and it's getting louder. Yusei, prepare to feel the full wrath of the Nordic gods!" He calmed himself down. "Sorry Yusei, but due to Gjallarhorn, your Wave Rebound won't be making any waves at all. You see, Gjallarhorn puts a stop to any effect that negates the revival of my Nordic gods. But there's more, at the end of my third turn, all the monsters I have on my field are removed from play and you get hit with a total of their attack points."

"No way," I muttered.

"Now, then since Thor has returned, you take 800 points of damage," Halldor stated and my life points fell to 1200.

It hurt a lot worse with my back. I felt my pain diminish, however. Jayla had to be helping me somehow. _'Maybe when she's in her dragon form on the field, or maybe even in the graveyard since I can still feel her presence by me, she has all her Dragon Protector capabilities,'_ I reasoned.

Halldor, however, continued taking my attention to the duel. "And since Loki has returned, I can add one trap card from my graveyard to my hand. And as you can see, the card I've selected is the trap Odin's Eye! You know what that means!" I tensed as I watched the card. "Next, thanks to Odin's special ability, I get to draw one card from my deck." He looked at it. "Ah, very nice." He placed it in his hand. "Now, I'll end my turn and since I have, Gjallorhorn's counter becomes one." The counter was placed. "A counter that is the count _down_ to your demise, Yusei. Especially since at this very moment, the effect of your monster chain trap is snapped! Your move, Yusei, perhaps your last."


	56. Shooting Stars

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 56**

 **Shooting Stars**

Yusei's POV

' _As long as Halldor has Odin's Eye out, he'll be able to see my cards and right through my strategy. But wait…'_ I thought.

 **~Flashback~**

"Yusei, when a god is on the field, nothing can negate the gaze of Odin's Eye and since that's the case, it activates," Halldor declared. "Now once per turn, by negating the special abilities of my gods, I am able to look at a card in your hand or on your field."

 **~Flashback Ended~**

' _Maybe I can use that to my advantage!'_ I thought. _'After all, what you see isn't always what you get.'_

"My turn!" I declared drawing my card. "And first I'm summoning Stardust Phantom (Attack 0/ Defense 0)! When Phantom is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can summon Stardust Dragon from my grave in defense mode. Furthermore, if I remove Stardust Phantom from play, I can then lower Stardust Dragon's defense points by 800 and make it invincible any attacks you dare throw its way. I then end my turn with a face down."

"I see what you're planning. I'll even break it down for you step by step," Halldor stated. "Since Phantom's ability activates form the graveyard, Thor won't be able to negate it. Then, if my three Nordic gods attack, you would simply be able to revive Stardust Dragon from your graveyard and be able to survive the onslaught due to his hardy defense. In fact, thanks to Stardust Phantom's ability, you can survive my gods' attacks three times and still keep Stardust Dragon."

"That's right," I responded.

"However, you forgot one thing, it's my turn, and my speed counter is up to ten!" Halldor reminded and drew his card. "And that means I can activate Speed World 2's effect now. So by removing ten speed counters, I can destroy one card on the field. The card that I choose to destroy is that Phantom!"

"And since you have, Phantom's ability now activates, so what happens next is just as you called it. I can summon Stardust Dragon from graveyard," I declared and, as said, Stardust Dragon took to the field.

"Now Thor, attack!" Halldor ordered.

Thor made his way and I immediately reacted, "I play Phantom's second ability, just as you predicted. By removing phantom from play and lowering Stardust's defense by 800, he can't be destroyed in battle (Stardust Dragon: Defense 1200)!" The attack hit and my dragon called out in slight pain.

"Now your turn, Loki. Go, Vanity Blast!" Halldor ordered. The attack was sent.

"Once again, I activate Phantom's ability (Stardust Dragon: Defense 400)," Yusei defended. My dragon cried out again, but stood strong.

"And that's the last time you will, Yusei," Halldor stated. "Don't you see? Stardust Dragon doesn't have enough attack points to save himself and stick around. You were one move short due to my speed counters." I tensed slightly. "And now, blast that Stardust Dragon off the field, Odin! Go Sacred Scepter Slash!"

As the attack neared, I called, "I play Stronghold Guardian! Since my monster in defense mode has been attacked, by banishing Stronghold, Stardust Dragon gains 1500 defense points until this turn's end phase (Stardust Dragon: Defense 1900). Now Phantom, activate your ability!" The attack was avoided and she was knocked back but still stood on the field. I told my dragon, "Thanks for taking some shots for the team, Stardust." It gave a soft, comforting sound back to me.

"Well, I have to admit to you, Yusei, I am ever so impressed with how resourceful you have become. You have been down so many times but never quite out. But that will all change. I summon Jormungardr the Nordic Serpent (Attack 3000/ Defense 3000) to your field!" Halldor declared.

"My field?" I questioned, uncertain. The long serpent wound around me like a circular wall made of a somewhat living being. "What's going on here?"

"I'll tell you what's going on here, Yusei. When a god is on my field, I can summon Jormungardr from my hand to your field in defense mode. Then if Jormungardr switches to attack mode, you take 3000 points of damage," Halldor explained. "Next I activate my face down. Gleipnir, the Fetters of Fenrir! Due to Gleipnir, when a god is on my field, I can add Fenrir the Nordic Wolf from my deck to my hand. And then, again, thanks to the gods, I can summon Fenrir from my hand to your field in defense mode and I'm not just crying wolf! Rise, my pet! Now when your turn's battle phase begins, Fenrir switches all monsters on your side of the field in defense to attack mode. Also, from this point on both players take damage from any battle involving Fenrir."

"Say what?!" I exclaimed.

"Next I place one card face down and end my turn," Halldor continued. "And since I have, Gjallarhorn's counter becomes two."

' _The card Halldor just placed face down has to be Odin's Eye,'_ I thought looking over my shoulder slightly. Halldor gave a small smirk. _'I'll have to play this carefully.'_

"My turn now," I declared drawing my card. "I play the trap, Hope for Escape! Now since I have less life points that you Halldor, by getting rid of 1000 of them, I'm now allowed to draw one card for every 1000 point difference in our life points." My life points dropped to 200. "And since the difference between us is more than 3000, I'm allowed to draw 3 cards from my deck. I summon Life Gardna (Attack 0/ Defense 800)! And with that done, I'm now going to summon a monster simply by removing one I already have from play. So now Jormungardr make way for Different Dimension Sprite (Attack 0/ Defense 100)!"

"But wait," Halldor responded realizing his combo was gone.

"Different Dimension Sprite, now rise and tune with Life Gardna! Behold as both power and speed surge towards each other to create the synchro, the tuner, the mighty Formula Synchron (Attack 200/ Defense 1500)!" I declared.

"A synchro tuner?" Halldor questioned, seeming confused.

"Next I play Life Gardna's ability. Because Life Gardna was used to synchro summon, I now get 800 life points," I declared and my life points sprinted to 1000. "Now I'll play Formula Synchron's ability. With it, I'm allowed to draw one extra card from my deck every turn." I put a hand on my deck and thought, _'The key to winning this now isn't just skill, it's speed.'_ I drew and looked at the card. "And I just got a whole bunch of it! Let's rev it up!" I exclaimed as the wind that angled off my duel runner glowed and I moved faster than the wind. "I tune my level two Formula Synchron with my level eight Stardust Dragon! Let the spirit of all duel monsters now spread its wings and soar to new heights, where it can be transformed by the wings of destiny, where it can become all powerful! Go Accel Synchro!" I vanished from Halldor's sight.

A pulse wave was sent from behind him as I quickly reappeared while exclaiming, "Appear Shooting Star Dragon (Attack 3300/ Defense 2500)!"

"Shooting Star Dragon?" Halldor repeated. "That's Yusei's most ultimate monster."

"Now from my hand, I'm playing the Speed Spell- Star Force!" I declared. "With this card, so long as I have four or more speed counters, I can remove one monster on my field from play. And then, I can give one monster on my field a super charged power up until this turn's end phase. So the monster I'm removing is Fenrir!" Fenrir was immediately destroyed and I continued, "And since Fenrir was level ten, I get to power up my Shooting Star Dragon by 1000 (Shooting Star Dragon: Attack 4300)!" My dragon's yellow eyes brightened with power.

"4300 attack points? This could pose a problem," Halldor stated.

"A bigger problem than you realize Halldor," I retorted, "Because now Shooting Star Dragon's ability activates which means I get to check the top five cards on my deck for tuner monsters." I looked at them. "I have three, and I'm afraid for you that means I'm allowed to wage three separate attacks. Now then, let's get to it! Shooting Star Dragon attack!" My monster split into three clones of it and each attacked and destroyed the three godly monsters and dropped Halldor's life points to 1900.

"You will pay for that, Yusei," Halldor growled. "Like a bug on my duel runner windshield, you just keep hanging on; refusing to accept that sooner or later, you're going to hit the pavement."

"The only thing hitting the pavement are these two face downs," I responded calmly.

"Which means it is the end phase of this turn and because it is, guess who's back," Halldor retorted. Each Nordic god returned to the field. "That's right, Thor has returned, which means you take 800 points of damage." My life points fell to 200 again, the pain diminished again. "And now Loki is back, meaning I can add one trap card from my graveyard to my hand. And as you can see, the trap card I've selected is God Shackles Gleipnir. And finally Odin returns to the field allowing me draw one card from my deck. But that's not the end of it. Don't forget, now that we're at the turn's end phase your dragon's attack points return to normal (Shooting Star Dragon: Attack 3300). And now it's my turn!" He drew his card.

"Bring it on, Halldor!" I challenged.

"Aren't you peppy for someone who is about to lose?" the Aesir responded.

"If I lose, at least I'll know I did everything I could to win," I replied.

"Oh, please. That's the way failures speak. But I suppose that fits because you have failed," Halldor argued. "And now I'm going to make it official. Then, at long last, all of the world will recognize something as an enclad fact. And that is, the Nordic gods can defeat all who oppose them, even your fledgeling synchros. Observe, I summon Tyr of the Nordic Champions (Attack 2000/ Defense 2000)! Next I activate the trap card, Odin's Eye!" He smirked. "Remember, Yusei, you can't negate the activation of Odin's Eye when a god is on the field. Of course, I have to negate my gods' abilities in order to use Odin's Eye, but that's a small price to pay. Next up, I play Tyr's ability! Now by releasing Tyr, any attacks you were thinking of throwing my way won't do my gods any harm. In other words, the penalty that comes to use Odin's Eye is now gone. Now, then, by the divine power of Odin's Eye, let's see that face down!"

As it was about to be revealed, I called stopping it, "Just what I was hoping for! I activate my trap, Trick Mirror! Due to this card, when your trap activates, I can activate its effect as though it was my own. And the trap effect that I'll be taking is that of Odin's Eye!"

"Oh no!" Halldor exclaimed shocked.

"And this means your gods' abilities are negated once more," I added.

"Fine, what's it matter?" Halldor retorted. "Even without his ability, Odin has 4000 attack points which is more than enough to take down your Shooting Star Dragon. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself! Odin, attack!"

"I play Shooting Star Dragon's ability!" I defended. "Now by removing Shooting Star Dragon from play during your turn, the attack of one of your monsters is negated." My dragon vanished. _'You'll be back soon, Jayla. And able to help me finish this.'_

"So what? Your field is now empty, Yusei. I'll just have one of my other two gods attack you now," Halldor responded.

I smirked. "I play the trap, Zero Force! Now, Halldor, because my monster left the field, your three Nordic Gods are about to lose all the power and might they each possess," I fought.

"That can't be!" Halldor exclaimed but Thor, Loki, and Odin's attack points dropped to zero. "But if they're points are zero, they can no longer attack!"

"And don't forget, at the end phase of this turn, the effect of your Gjallarhorn trap activates. And that means all monsters on your field will be removed from play and that I get damaged with the combined attack points of those monsters. However, since the attack points of your three gods now total just zero, I won't be taking any damage at all," I added.

"No way…" Halldor muttered shocked.

"And now that we've reached this turn's end phase, Shooting Star Dragon rises again (Attack 3300/ Defense 3000)," I continued. "And with his rise comes your fall! Now go, Shooting Star! Attack!" The attack succeeded and Halldor's life points fell to zero.

Halldor and I looked at each other and nodded in respect before I drove off to meet with my friends. When I was back, Jayla was there and I nodded at her while she had an approving grin on her face while the others congratulated him.

"We're not finished, yet though," I stated and Jayla nodded.

"There's still Team New World, or better known as Yliaster, to deal with if we want to save the world," she stated.

"We'll win this," Crow stated. "I'm positive."

We all nodded. "This won't be an easy duel. After all, it is more than likely you'll end up facing real damage again," Jayla added. "And with the Meklord Emperors having those abilities of theirs… You need to be ready for anything." They nodded in acceptance.

I noticed Jayla seemed nervous and I knew by her expression it was about the Earthbound Immortals. I would question her about it later. For now, though, we had to get ready for a fight harder than even the one we just had. And I was worried myself of what was to come.


	57. Three Down

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 57**

 **Three Down**

Jack's POV

I took off like a bullet against Lester who was on his duel board. The audience laughed at the duel board he was riding, but I wasn't and neither was my team. This duel would be no laughing matter.

I ended up gaining the first turn. "I summon Dark Resonator (Attack 1300/ Defense 300) in defense mode. I then set three cards face down and end my turn," I declared.

Lester drew his card. "I summon Sky Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense position and also set three face downs. That ends my turn," he near copied.

I drew my card to begin my next turn. "I activate my face down Dimension Switch! This removes Dark Resonator from play. And since you have monsters on your field and I don't, I can special summon Gear Changer (Attack 1500/ Defense 700) in attack mode. And then I can activate its effect to increase its level by the level of your Sky Core (Gear Changer: Level 5). Now I send Dimension Switch to the graveyard to return Dark Resonator to the field in defense position. With him back, I tune Gear Changer with Dark Resonator to synchro summon. Show your might, Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000)!" I called. "Now I normal summon Trust Guardian (Attack 0/ Defense 800). Next I can special summon Red Nova (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode since I control Red Dragon Archfiend. And then I will double tune Red Dragon Archfiend with Trust Guardian and Red Nova. Rise, Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000)! And due to its effect, Red Nova Dragon gains 500 attack for each tuner monster in my graveyard. And there are three currently, meaning he gains 1500 attack points (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 5000). Red Nova Dragon, attack Sky Core!"

"I activate Twin Vortex! This destroys Sky Core and your dragon," Lester played.

"Well due to Red Nova Dragon's effect, it can't be destroyed by your card effects," I retorted meaning only Sky Core was destroyed.

"Well, since Sky Core was destroyed by card effect, it's effect activates which allows me to summon Meklord Emperor Skiel (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Skiel Top (Attack 600/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Skiel Attack (Attack 1000/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Skiel Guard (Attack 200/ Defense 300) in defense mode, and Skiel Carrier (Attack 400/ Defense 0) in attack mode. And due to the effect of Meklord Emperor Skiel, they will combine to create an even stronger monster (Attack 2200/ Defense 0)," Lester declared.

"Red Nova Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Skiel!" I ordered.

"I activate the effect of Skiel Guard to negate the attack," Lester defended.

"I activate Power Pressure! Since a monster's attack was negated, I can deal you 1000 points of damage," I fought.

"I activate Infinite Aura! This gains one Aura Counter for every 100 points of damage I take. And since I took 1000, it gains 10 counters (Aura Counters: 10)," Lester played as his life points fell to 3000.

"I end my turn," I finished.

Lester drew. "I activate Meklord Emperor Skiel's effect to equip itself with Red Nova Dragon," he declared.

"I activate Red Nova Dragon's effect! It removes it from place and allows me to negate one attack this turn," Jack played.

"I set a card and end my turn," Lester finished.

"And since you've ended your turn, Red Nova Dragon returns!" I responded as my dragon rose up at a full 5000 attack. I drew my card. "I summon Force Resonator (Attack 500/ Defense 500) in attack mode. Now I activate the effect of Force Resonator. By sending it to the graveyard, I can prevent you from activating card effects that target Red Nova Dragon when it attacks this turn. Added, Red Nova Dragon gains an additional 500 points (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 5500)! Red Nova Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Skiel!"

"I activate Infinite Prison! This takes Sky Core from my graveyard and sets it as a spell card by discarding Skiel Carrier 5," Lester fought.

Red Nova Dragon destroyed Meklord Emperor Skiel and the shrimp's life points fell to 0 while his Infinite Aura gained 30 more Counters making it a total of 40. And since Meklord Skiel Infinity had been removed from the field, all the other "Skiel" monsters were destroyed as well.

Primo came up and drew his card to begin his turn. "I summon Wise Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense position," he declared. "Next I activate the Speed Spell- Lightning Rod! This destroys Wise Core. And since Wise Core was destroyed, I can special summon Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack position, Wisel Top (Attack 500/ Defense 0) in attack position, Wisel Attack (Attack 1200/ Defense 0) in attack position, Wisel Guard (Attack 0/ Defense 1200) in defense position, and Wisel Carrier (Attack 800/ Defense 600) in attack position. And now due to Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity's effect, they will all combine to create Meklord Emperor Wisel (Attack 2500/ Defense 0)! Now I activate the effect of Meklord Emperor Wisel to equip it with your Red Nova Dragon."

"I activate Red Nova's effect! It removes my dragon from play until the end phase and allows me to negate one attack this turn," I defended.

"I activate my face down, Infinity Barrage! This inflicts 400 points of damage to you for every monster you control," Primo played and my life points fell to 2000. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"And since it is the end phase, Red Nova Dragon rises again, (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 5500/ Defense 3000)!" I called as my dragon returned. I drew my card. "Red Nova Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity!" I ordered.

"I activate Wisel Guard's effect to redirect the attack to it instead," Primo defended.

"I activate my face down, Burning Strike, and equip it to Red Nova Dragon. This card grants it the ability to inflict piercing damage," I fought.

"I activate Wise G3! By sending Wisel Guard to the graveyard, I can special summon Wisel Guard 3 (Attack 0/ Defense 2000) in defense position," Primo continued.

"Red Nova Dragon, attack Wisel Guard 3!" I ordered. Primo's monster wasn't destroyed due to its effect, but Red Nova still inflicted damage lowering Primo to 500 life points. Infinite Aura also activated giving its Aura Counters a total of 75.

"I activate Echo Mirror to draw a card and reveal it. If it's a monster, you will take damage equal to the monster's level times 300," Primo declared and drew his card. It ended up being level three Wisel Attack 3 and dropped my life points down to 1100.

"I set a face down and end my turn," I declared.

After a few moments of silence, I noticed Primo growl in submission to something. He then turned back to the duel at hand. He drew his card to begin his turn. "I set two face downs and end my turn."

As I drove, I got the message saying to destroy Infinite Aura. I then called, "I activate my face down, Synchro Sonic! Since I control at least one synchro monster, I can destroy Infinite Aura."

"I activate Infinite Guard Formation! By negating the effects of all the effect monsters I control, I can negate the effect of Synchro Sonic (Meklord Emperor Wisel: Attack 0)," Primo defended.

"Red Nova Dragon, attack Meklord Emperor Wisel!" I ordered. Primo's monsters and life points fell while Infinite Aura's Aura Counters increases to 80.

"I activate Infinite Prison! This takes Wise Core from my graveyard and sets it as a spell card by discarding Wisel Attack 3," Primo finished.

Jakob took to the field. "I summon Grand Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in defense mode and then activate Explosive Blast to destroy Grand Core and deal 400 points of damage to you," he declared and my life points fell to 700. "And since Grand Core was destroyed by card effect and send to the graveyard, I can special summon Meklord Emperor Granel (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack position, Granel Top (Attack 500/ Defense 0) in attack position, Granel Attack (Attack 1300/ Defense 0) in attack position, Granel Guard (Attack 500/ Defense 1000) in defense position, and Granel Carrier (Attack 700/ Defense 700) in attack position. And due to its effect, my monsters will combine into one and its attack and defense points increase to become equal to my life points (Meklord Emperor Granel: Attack 4000/ Defense 4000). And then I activate Speed Spell- Takeover to destroy Infinite Aura. By destroying that card, I can life points equal to the total number of counters it had times 100." Jakob's life points increased to 12000 as did Meklord Emperor Granel's attack and defense, making me tense and worried. "I set a card face down. Now, Meklord Emperor Granel, attack Red Nova Dragon!"

"I activate Red Nova Dragon's effect to remove it from play and allow me to negate one attack," Jack defended.

"I activate Granel Top's effect, which negates your dragon's effect until the end phase," Jakob fought and the blast hit, destroying my monster and my life points.

But to my shock a dome of light surrounded me, and it was similar to the one Arch used when he protected me during my battle with Goodwin. _'Is Arch still here… protecting me?'_ I thought. I couldn't sense his physical presence. But I knew it had to be Arch. Whether he was there physically or using his powers from wherever he was now, I didn't know. But he was protecting me somehow, I could feel it.

"I don't know how you're doing that, but we will continue this," Jakob stated. "After all, since Granel destroyed a synchro monster in battle, I activate Granel Attack's effect to take Red Nova Dragon from the graveyard and equip it to Meklord Emperor Granel. And now due to the effect of Meklord Emperor Granel, it gains attack equal to the attack of Red Nova Dragon (Meklord Emperor Granel: Attack 15500."

I came in and called to Crow, "Be careful, Crow. Do not take this duel lightly at all."

"Right," Crow agreed and took off.

' _Hopefully Wing is going to protect Crow like Arch did for me,'_ I thought.


	58. The Blackwings Who Fly

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 58**

 **The Blackwings Who Fly**

Crow's POV

It was my turn to duel and the odds were not good whatsoever. Team 5Ds and I were not ready to feel at all like we were going to win with Jakob's Meklord Emperor Granel hosting a total of 15,500 attack points.

' _And I had thought the Earthbound Immortals was powerful, but this was a whole different level. Especially since it can also take synchro monsters from the graveyard if they were destroyed by battle and Granel Top can negate a monster's effect,'_ I thought. _'This duel will push me to my limits.'_

I drew my card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy your Meklord Emperor Granel," I declared.

"I activate my face down, Infinity Wall. This negates all card effects that would destroy any cards I control this turn," Jakob defended.

"Well then, I summon Blackwing- Steam the Cloaked (Attack 800/ Defense 1200) in attack mode. And since I control a Blackwing monster, I can special summon Blackwing- Bora the Spear (Attack 1700/ Defense 800) from my hand in attack mode," I responded. "I then remove my turn monsters from play to special summon Blackwing- Aurora the Northern Lights (Attack 0/ Defense 0) from my hand with its effect. ANd due to its effect, its level becomes the combined levels of the two removed monsters (Blackwing- Aurora the Northern Lights: Level 7). And since Steam the Cloaked left the fields, its effect activates, special summon Steam Token (Attack 100/ Defense 100) in attack mode. Now with the second effect of Aurora, I can remove from play Blackwing Armor Master from my extra deck to make the attack and effects of Aurora the Northen Lights as Blackwing Armor Master until my next Standby Phase (Blackwing- Aurora the Northern Lights: Attack 2500).' I then thought, _'By attacking Meklord Emperor Granel with Aurora, I can place a Wedge Counter on Meklord Emperor Granel at the end of the the damage step. I could then remove the counter to reduce the attack of Meklord Emperor Granel to 0. That would activate the effect of my Steam Token, which will remove Meklord Emperor Granel from play and destroying all the parts of his monster.'_ I then ordered, "Aurora, attack Meklord Emperor Granel!"

"I activate the effect of Granel Guard! This treats the Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000) equipped to Granel as a face up attack position monster in the Spell and Trap Card Zone during the damage step only and changing the attack target to it," Jakob defended.

Due to the effects granted to Aurora from Blackwing Armor Master, it wasn't destroyed and Crow took no battle damage. At the end of the damage step, the Wedge counter was about to be placed on Red Nova Dragon, but the dragon became an equip card again so the counter was void. I inwardly cursed at that effect.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," I finished and Steam Token destroyed itself due to its own effect.

Jakob drew his card. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2! By removing ten speed counters, I can destroy your Aurora the Northern Lights," he declared and my monster shattered. "Meklord Emperor Granel, attack him directly!"

"I special summon Blackwing Ghibli the Searing Wind (Attack 0/ Defense 1600) from my hand in defense position," I defended.

"Well, then, Meklord Emperor Granel, destroy his Blackwing- Ghibli the Searing Wind!" Jakob fought.

"As a Winged-beast monster with 1000 or less attack points was destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, I can activate my face down, Black Wing Revenge! This allows me to special summon two Blackwing- Black Crest Tokens (Attack 0/ Defense 800) in defense position. And then I activate my other face down, Blackboost to draw two cards as I control at least two Blackwing Monsters," I responded.

"I activate the effect of Granel Attack! This treats Red Nova Dragon equipped to my Meklord Emperor as an attack position monster during the battle phase only and also allows Red Nova Dragon to inflict piercing damage, though it can't attack directly. So, Red Nova Dragon, attack one of those Black Crest Tokens!" Red Nova Dragon attacked and destroyed one of my monsters and my life points shot to 1300. "I set a face down and end my turn."

I drew my card. "I tribute my Black Crest Token to tribute summon. Rise up, Blackwing- Hillen the Tengu-wind (Attack 0/ Defense 2300) in defense mode," I declared. "I set two face downs and end my turn."

Jakob drew his card. "I activate Granel Attack's effect once again and target Red Nova Dragon for it. Red Nova Dragon, attack Hillen the Tengu-wind!" he ordered. The attacked destroyed my monster and dropped me to a mere 100 life points. "Meklord Emperor Granel, attack his directly!"

My life points fell to zero as the attack hit, but the attack didn't hit _me_. It hit a shield that I recognized as the one Wing put me in when he saved me from the crash. It was just like with Jack's that we had seen, only it was unique to Wing's type. _'Wing is still protecting me,'_ I thought. _'I need to do one more move for him and Yusei.'_ As such, I called, "I activate Blackwing- Hillen the Tengu-wind's effect to revive itself (Attack 0/ Defense 2300) and Blackwing- Ghibli the Searing Wind (Attack 0/ Defense 1600) in attack position. Then I activate my face down Urgent Tuning to tune Ghibli with Hillen to synchro summon a synchro monster in defense mode. Soar, Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600)!"

"Why sacrifice yourself to summon a synchro monster?" Jakob asked me.

"The loss was for the sake of the team," I explained. "My friends and I aren't selfish like you had thoughts humans are. We share thoughts and fight as one; That's what we call bonds."

I was thankful to Wing, wherever he was, for saving from that attack. I had a feeling that Jayla was going to find some way to protect Yusei from whatever assault was thrown at him. It _was_ Jayla, after all.

Due to the rules of the World Racing Grand Prix, it immediately went to Jakob's end phase meaning Red Nova Dragon became an equip card again. I passed the baton to Yusei, who seemed to be hiding the slightest bit of worry when he looked at Jayla, but still took off to fight our opponent.

' _Yusei, use my card well,'_ I thought.


	59. The Future We Make

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 59**

 **The Future We Make**

Yusei's POV

' _I know why Crow left Black-Winged Dragon to me. Throughout all the hardship we've experienced in this tournament, we didn't fight with our individual decks. We fought using three decks,'_ I thought on the duel field. With me at 4000 life points and Jakob at 12,000, I didn't like the odds but drew my card to begin my turn. "I summon Wave Wall (Attack 0/ Defense 2000) in defense mode. I then set two cards face down and end my turn," I declared. I looked at Crow's dragon. _'You can count on me, Crow.'_

"Though you know the path of their destruction, you still think you can win with synchro monsters. You're pitiful and I will make you disappear," Jakob comments and drew his card. "Meklord Emperor Granel, attack Black-Winged Dragon!"

"I activate the effect of Wave Wall! Since I control a synchro monster, I can negate your attack," I defended. "And let's not forget, since Granel is five monsters being treated as one, it can only attack once."

"Since my Meklord Emperor monster didn't destroy your monster that it attacked by battle, I can activate this: Attack Cannon! So by releasing Granel Attack, I can destroy your pathetic synchro," Jakob fought.

"I activate another card Crow left for me. Shadow Impulse! With this, I am able to summon a synchro from my extra deck with the same level and type as the synchro monster just destroyed, but its attack becomes zero and its effects are negated," I retorted. "And I choose Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)."

"Don't get too conceited for surviving the attack. Your bonds are to be destroyed by Granel anyway," Jakob told him. "Regardless of how much it struggles, an ant cannot defeat an elephant. An elephant will not recognize a small existence like an ant passing by. Team New World are the elephants trying to change history, while you, Team 5Ds, are just ants who can do nothing but pass by." I glared. "I summon Granel Attack 3 (Attack 1800/ Defense 0). Now since I have four speed counters, I activate the Speed Spell- Silent Burn! This inflicts 300 points of damage to you for each monster that didn't attack. Feel the power of an elephant!" My life points fell to 2800 and I found myself protected by a dome of energy like Jack and Crow had been, only it seemed like Jayla's energy from before she became half-Dragon Protector. "Had you crashed there, you would have spared yourself further pain that awaits you. I set one face down and end my turn."

"I'm not going to give up against you trying to change history. I'll keep fighting no matter what," I vowed.

"That is foolishness as far as I'm concerned. There is no hope for you. I will show you what the future is like," Jakob told him. The Infinity symbol on Jakob's mouth cover lit up and a larger infinity symbol appeared in the sky while the Signers' Marks of the Dragon all lit up as well.

. . .

I opened my eyes and found myself and my team find on what appeared to be another world. "Where are we?" Leo wondered.

"I don't know," Akiza responded.

"I've seen this scene before…" I muttered. We looked below them to see Duel Monsters sealed in stone slabs in a red wasteland.

"This looks like a graveyard," Jack commented.

Suddenly, Akiza spotted something. "Hey! Is that…?" she stopped as we saw the rings from the center of New Domino's bridge network.

' _This has to be a lie,'_ I thought, trying to convince myself that it was.

Primo, Jakob, and Lester then appeared before us. "You shall be shown the truth of the future," Jakob told us.

"Is this the future of New Domino?" I asked.

"It all began with synchro summons," Jakob informed as the scenery changed to a few years previous. At the appearing time, the city was brighter and in working order. There were a number of floating structures above the city; a number of turbo duelist shown on a road all synchro summonings; in an arena for ground dueling, a hologram of a cowgirl held up Naturia Leodrake while other duelists all around her raised their synchro monsters too. "Both the world and dueling had evolved and people became more obsessed with dueling. Synchro summoning even became a symbol for this town." Duel Academy was show where a teacher was explaining synchro by pointing to a projection showing Plaguespreader Zombie and Marauding Captain being used to synchro summon Ally of Justice Catastor. "At this time, duel runners and synchro summons grew rapidly, both of which were linked to Ener-D. The Ener-D's rotation speed continually increased as the world evolved, but the evolution was too quick."

Lester laughed. "The evolution was indeed incredible," he stated and kept laughing.

"Shut up," Primo told the younger member sternly.

Suddenly, an army of Meklord Emperors appeared and the people in the city all looked up in surprise. But the Meklord Emperors then started attacking and destroying the city. Leo pointed below to where Lester was visible, running with his mother and father.

"That is his memory of this age," Lester told us. Below Lester and his parents were struck by a blast from one of the emperors. Lester survived, but his parents were killed.

The scenery then changed slightly and Primo said, "This is my memory." In the memory, Primo was with a girl inside a destroyed building, both of them armed. After a Meklord Emperor Granel passed, they both shot at it, doing some damage. They looked at each other in triumph, but then the building is shot at the girl is killed. Primo cried out loud and the Meklord Emperor appeared in front of him and the man shot at the robot in anger while my friends and I watched in horror.

"The greed of humanity had finally reached its peak," Jakob explained. "At that time, the Ener-D suddenly became uncontrollable as it reacted to the greed. The Ener-D went berserk and caused explosions all across the world."

"No way! Ener-D wouldn't go out of control again," I refused to believe.

"I am telling the truth. I will show you my memory of the world that had been destroyed by humanity's foolishness," Jakob stated as the scenery shifted in a destroyed world. The visionary Jakob was dressed in rags and walking through the destroyed city, devoid of any other people. The present day Jakob continued, "I was the chosen one, although I didn't know if it was through luck or misfortune. As the only survivor, I wandered around, but nobody could hear my voice."

' _This isn't the future,'_ I thought determined to ensure it.

. . .

I snapped out of the vision as I appeared back in present day. "Will synchro summoning really lead to that world?" I wondered quietly. I then stated determinedly, "No, it won't. I will never believe it will."

"Are you trying to escape fate?" Jakob asked.

"You're lying about synchro summoning causing that future. I know you are," I accused.

"That kind of ignorance is what led to the destruction," Jakob commented.

"We can decide the fate of the future ourselves," Yusei told him. I drew my card to return to the duel again. "First I summon Mono Synchron (Attack 0/ Defense 0) and use its effect to change the level of Wave Wall to 1. Now I tune Wave Wall with Mono Synchron. Clustering hope will open the new speed's horizon. Become the path its light shines upon. Synchro summon! The power of hope, synchro tuner, Formula Synchron (Attack 200/ Defense 1500). Our bonds will open the path to a better future. I tune Stardust Dragon with Formula Synchron. Clustering dreams and hopes will open the door onto evolution. Become the path its light shines upon. Accel synchro!" I disappeared for a moment before appeared again after a pulse wave. "Be born, Shooting Star Dragon (Attack 3300/ Defense 2500)! Next I activate Shooting Star Dragon's effect. With it I can check the top five cards on my deck for tuner monster and then shuffle it. And for every tuner monster I draw, I can attack one time." The full Mark of the Crimson Dragon appeared on my back and I drew the cards. I revealed them and saw I drew all five. "I drew five, Jakob. And that means I can attack five times." Shooting Star Dragon attack Granel Attack 3 to start.

"I use the effect of Granel Guard to redirect the attack to Red Nova Dragon. And since Red Nova Dragon has 3300 attack points, it will destroy your monster," Jakob played.

"Not quite, I activate Synchro Striker Unit! This raises its attack to 4300," I fought.

"Due to Granel Carrier's effect, I can prevent Red Dragon Archfiend from being destroyed once per turn," Jakob defended but he still took damage and his life points were lowered to 11,200 and the attack of Meklord Emperor Granel became 14,700.

The second Shooting Star Dragon attacked Red Nova Dragon, destroying it. Both Jakob's life points and the attack of Granel fell to 10,400. The third attacked Granel Attack 3 and the fourth went at Granel Top dropping the opposing team's member to 4100. And the final Shooting Star Dragon attacked Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity destroying it along with Granel Guard and Granel Carrier while leaving Jakob's life points with 3900.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," I finished while the effect of Synchro Striker Unit caused Shooting Star Dragon to lose 800 attack points, lowering it to 3500. I sped ahead so my duel runner was beside Jakob's. "This is our power towards the future. Synchro summon and Accel Synchro summon have stopped Yliaster's ambitions."

"Are you sure you see to see my future that badly?" Jakob asked. "Thanks to you, my field is now reduced to burnt land." That reminded me of the wasteland from the future vision. "Not to worry." Lester and Primo quickly joined him on the field. "Aporia will fix that."

"Aporia? What is that?" I asked.

"Lester, Primo, and I are three beings that strive towards justice and bring hope into this world. The time has come for us to become one," Jakob explained vaguely. The infinity symbol over his mouth glowed followed by a larger one lighting up the sky again. Then the ones over Lester and Primo's eyes glowed as well. Jakob ejected and flies towards an infinity symbol.

Lester and Primo's bodies merge into Jakob's. His face now bore the three infinity symbols from Jakob's mouth, Primo's right eye, and Lester's left eye and form into a mask as the body changed form. As soon as the transformation was complete, the mask disappeared.

I looked up in surprise as the new person came down while Lester's duel board and Primo's duel runner drove up alongside Jakob's duel runner. The three vehicles glowed and transformed before combining to create a new duel runner. The new person came down and parts of his body opened and revealed connection ports. An array of wires are sent from the duel runner and connected into the man and combined with his new vehicle and he fired his cards into their slots on the runner.

"Who are you guys?" I asked, but I quickly corrected myself, "Who are _you_?"

The new man opened his eyes and said, "I am Aporia, the Guardian of Despair. This is my true form. The Three Pure Nobles were separate aspects of a single being. You are as a duelist as he ascribed him to be. I had predicted that you would topple the Meklord Emperor, and with this, the Grand Design is now close to completion."

"What are you getting at?" I asked.

Aporia ignored me as he began his turn, "I activate Infinite Prison. By discarding Infinity Force, I can take Grand Core from my graveyard and set it as a spell card. I then use the second effect of Infinite Prison; By sending itself to the graveyard, I can take the cards set by its first effect and add them to my hand." Sky Core, Wise Core, and Grand Core were projected out of the Spell and Trap Card Zone and returned to Aporia's hand. "Total despair. A new power stronger than anything you have seen is about to descend. I activate Meklord Emperor Creation!" He threw the three Core cards into the air. "I am sending them to the graveyard to special summon my own ace monster: Meklord Astro Mekanikle (Attack 4000/ Defense 4000)!" In an instant, the Core cards combine and reform into the monster. It was a massive white and gold robot, which fired a beam into the sky causing lightning to appear and strike the city. "Heroes shall witness the power of Meklord Astro Mekanikle, the Devil of Despair! My monster can absorb a synchro monster once per turn, and increasing its attack by that of the absorbed synchro monster." Meklord Astro Mekanikle launched an array of beams at Shooting Star Dragon.

"I activate the effect of Shooting Star Dragon to remove itself from play," I defended.

"I use another one of Mekanikle's effects. It can use the effect of any Meklord Emperor component I discard from my hand. I send Granel Guard 3, allowing Mekanikle to negate the activation of the effect of Shooting Star Dragon," Aporia fought and my monster was taken by Meklord Astro Mekanikle while the giant robot's attack rose to 7300.

' _Not good,'_ I thought.

"I stand before you as the door to despair. You will come to understand the despair that I have tasted," Aporia told me. "In order to fight that despair, I came to this era as three separate entities."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"The reason I broke off into the Three Pure Nobles, knowns as Jakob, Lester and Primo…" he trailed off before the others and I found themselves back in the future visions.

. . .

We looked to see a dome below us with someone inside. The man looked like Jakob dressed in tattered clothing. "Why did this happen?" the man asked.

"Jakob," I muttered. But I then realized the truth. "No, it's Aporia."

The vision Aporia dropped to his knees. "Is anyone there?"

The present day Aporia began to narrate, "I witnessed the point in history where humanity met its end. I had thought I was the lone survivor and trembled in despair. But then three survivors came up to me: Z-One, Paradox, and Antinomy." Z-One held out his hand to Aporia. "They are the last survivors of this world; and as the only ones who live, we have an important mission to fulfill." The four survivors gathered in a building. Z-One held out his hand next to a stone, causing it to stand. "Our mission was to dispose of the core power of Ener-D, which took out the world, in order to create hope for the future. The four of us father the remainder of that power and sought to find a solution, which could restore mankind and the ruined world. However, that turned out to be reckless and naïve thinking. We performed endless experiments and during those experiments, until I was the one of my friends left alive." As he explained this Antinomy and Paradox were seen in capsules with Aporia standing over them and Z-One in a machine. "I had been left alone and powerless again." The vision changed so that now Aporia was in a capsule and Z-One looking over him.

The vision Aporia told his friend, "There is no future here. Z-One, please listen to what I have to say. My soul exists as three embodiments of despair: First, the despair I suffered after I lost those who loved me; Second, the despair I suffered after losing the one I loved; And thirdly, the despair I suffered after having no one left to love. Using the power I possess, I plan to split my soul into these three embodiments of despair. Z-One, use me as your servant. I am confident you will bring back hope and the future."

"I promise to do so," Z-One vowed and Aporia died with that promise in play.

. . .

We then returned once again to the current time and location. "Following that, I was reborn as three embodiments of despair. Under the names Lester, Primo, and Jakob, I created Yliaster in order to keep the promise I made to my friends; to prevent the downfall of the future. For that purpose, I plan to eliminate all traces of New Domino City's history. By destroying the source of Ener-D, I will save the future. And I will achieve this through Team New World's victory over Team 5Ds, which will cause the city to perish and the future to change," Aporia finished.

"I don't think so," I disagreed.

"Now that my three embodiments of despair have joined back into one entity, you have no chance of victory. Witness the extent of my power born from despair!" Aporia called and launched a number of beams from his body, which struck and destroyed parts of the city, including a portion of the turbo duel circuit in front of us. The two of us ramped off the broken circuit and onto the road below.

I looked up to see the building high above. "The only way to stop it is to win the duel," I remarked.

Aporia then told me, returning my attention to the duel, "Since I have absorbed Shooting Star Dragon, you have no hope left. All that is left is the black pit of despair for you to experience."

As we drove through the streets, Aporia's large duel runner smashed through parked cars, sending them flying and causing citizens to run for cover. _'I need to get somewhere void of citizens,'_ I thought.

"Mekanikle, attack Yusei directly!" Aporia ordered.

As the attack headed for me, I spotted a young girl up ahead in the middle of the road, crying for her mother. "I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to negate the attack!" I declared while pulling my duel runner to stop in front of the girl. I immediately told her, "Get out of here! Hurry!" She didn't hesitate and once she was a safe distance away, I hurried off. _'I need to lure Aporia into the old BAD area. There's no people to be harmed in that area,'_ I thought and brought Aporia onto the bridges.

"It is futile," Aporia stated. "I set a card. And when I end my turn, the effect of Mekanikle activates, sending the synchro monster I absorbed to the graveyard and you will be dealt with damage equal to the attack of the synchro monster. With you having 2800 and the attack of Shooting Star Dragon 3300, your demise is inevitable."

"I don't think so," I argued. "This is why. I activate Wild Tornado! This destroys Shooting Star Dragon."

Aporia growled. "I end my turn," he finished.

I drew my card to begin my turn. "I activate the effect of Speed World 2. By removing 7 speeed counters, I can draw one card." I drew it. "I summon Salvagent (Attack 300/ Defense 800)! But it's not staying for long. By releasing it, I can negate the effect of a synchro monster in my graveyard and special summon it in defense mode. So I call back, Shooting Star Dragon (Attack 3300/ Defense 2500)! And due to another effect of Salvagent, it is no longer treated as a synchro monster. With that, I end my turn with two face downs."

Aporia laughed. "You called out a synchro monster by throwing away its effects?" he mocked. "My victory in this duel will bring forth destruction and within that destruction lies the door to a new future."

"There is no way a new future can be born from destruction," I retorted.

"I will prove that it can. Through the history Yliaster has created with their own hands," Aporia argued. He drew his card. "I use the effect of Speed World 2 to remove 7 speed counters and draw one card, as well. I send Wisel Attack 5 to the graveyard to give its effect to Mekanikle. So my monster can now inflict piercing damage equal to double the difference."

"I still have Scrap-Iron Scarecrow," I reminded him.

"That is useless. Since Wisel Attack 5 has an attack, it prevents the activation of my opponets trap cards when it attacks," Aporia retorted. "What do you think of the taste of despair?" He then laughed maniacally. "I will emerge victorious next turn and the Grand Design will be complete. When that happens, the limitless amounts of Ener-D will be released and the Divine Temple will appear in order to guide New Domino. The destruction will lead to the start of a new future free of despair!"

' _What can I do to destroy Meklord Astro Mekanikle?'_ I thought.

"We shall go to a new future," Aporia bragged.

Jack and Crow came up and met with me by the duel. "What're you doing here?" I asked knowing both Jack and Crow were still hurt.

"We've come to join you," Jack told me.

"We still have a battle to finish," Crow added.

"It's too dangerous and you're still injured a bit from losing to Jakob," I tried. _'Even though my back is probably worse than their injuries,'_ I added in thought.

"We don't care," Crow told me, shocking me a bit. "This burden doesn't just belong to you. We should be sharing it." I nodded slowly.

' _Wait, I haven't used the card Jack left for me yet!'_ I realized. _'Since the cards contain the bonds between the three of us, I can't lose.'_

"Meklord Astro Mekanikle, attack that Shooting Star Dragon! Cube of Despair!" Aporia ordered.

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" I called.

"That move is useless as the effect of Wisel Attack 5 negates and destroys trap cards," Aporia stated and my card was destroyed, but that didn't faze me.

"But you forget, you can only destroy one trap card," I reminded my opponent. "I activate the card Jack left for me, Revenge Twin Soul! By removing two synchro monsters in my graveyard from play, Shooting Star Dragon gains defense equal to their combined levels time 100. So I remove Red Nova Dragon and Black-Winged Dragon, giving Shooting Star Dragon 2000 more defense points (Shooting Star Dragon: Defense 4500). And if the attacking monster's attack is lower than the target monster's defense, the attack monster is also destroyed." Shooting Star Dragon was hit by the blast and deflected it back at Mekanikle.

"I activate the effect of Mekanikle! By removing a Meklord Emperor component in my graveyard from play, I can negate its destruction," Aporia defended. "So I remove Granel Carrier." Mekanikle was saved but he still took damage dropping his life points to 3400. "I must admit, Yusei, you are stronger than I had thought. But resistance is futile. All will still be lost. I set a card face down and end my turn." And because of it, Revenge Twin Soul's effect wore off and returned Shooting Star Dragon's defense to 2500.

"It's time for a counterattack," Crow told me.

I nodded and drew my card. "First I activate the Speed Spell- Angel Baton! This allows me to draw two cards by sending one to the graveyard. And then I activate my face down, Dimension Voyage! This allows me to special summon as many of my removed from play synchro monsters as I can. So I call forth Red Nova Dragon and Black-Winged Dragon!" I declared and the dragons returned. "The turn those monsters are special special summoned, their effect are negated and cannot attack but are removed from play during the end phase."

"What are you planning to do with monsters that can't attack or use their effects?" I heard Aporia wonder but ignored him.

"I switch Shooting Star Dragon to attack mode and activate Trust Chain! This allows me to increase the attack of Shooting Star Dragon by the total attack of all synchro monster I control, but prevents synchro monsters from attacking (Shooting Star Dragon: Attack 9600)," I continued.

"You've done it!" Jack exclaimed.

"Our bonds will bring us through despair," Crow added.

"No amount of despair can affect our bonds, which will carve a new future for ourselves," I told them. "Shooting Star Dragon, attack Mekanikle!"

"Have you not yet realized that true despair cannot be beaten so easily?" Aporia asked me and I glared, but I was tense. He had something to defend himself; and whatever it was, it wouldn't be good. And it wasn't as he played, "I activate Banishing Climb! It removes all synchro monsters from play." A hole cracked into the sky which sucked Red Nova Dragon and Black-Winged Dragon into it before it resealed itself. "And without them, your Shooting Star Dragon returns to 3300 attack."

"I activate the other effect of Trust Chain! By sending it to the graveyard, I can end the battle phase and cancel the attack," I defended and my dragon returned to my side.

Aporia growled, "And that means Banishing Climb's effect wears off as well returning your other pathetic synchro monsters to the field." My friends' other monsters returned to the field. "End your turn quickly, Yusei. How will you deal with true despair?"

"I set a card face down and end my turn," I finished.

"I activate the effect of Mekanikle to equip itself with Red Nova Dragon and gain its attack," Aporia declared and the monster was sucked into the machine while Meklord Astro Mekanikle's attack rose to 7500. "Next I send Granel Top 5 from my hand to the graveyard so my monster can gain its effects. And its effect allows me to absorb another synchro monster, like your Black-Winged Dragon!" Mekanikle's attack sprung up to 10,300. "Watch as I change the future! The victor is already decided. With 10,300 attack, one attack from Mekanikle is enough to end it all and the new future will be realized." He grinned confidently. "So, Mekanikle, attack Shooting Star Dragon!"

"I activate the effect of Guard Master!" I played. "By removing it from my graveyard from play, I can change Shooting Star Dragon to defense mode and make it unable to be destroyed by battle." The attack was deflected from Shooting Star Dragon and hit a nearby building, damaging it.

"I activate another effect of Mekanikle! By sending a synchro monster equipped to it to the graveyard, I can inflict damage to you equal to the attack of that monster. So I send Red Nova Dragon to the graveyard (Meklord Astro Mekanikle: Attack 6800) and deal you 3500 points of damage!"

"I activate Hardship!" I defended. "This lowers the attack and defense of Shooting Star Dragon to zero, but also lowers the effect damage inflicted by Mekanikle to zero."

"Then I shall use the effect of Mekanikle again, sending Black-Winged Dragon to the graveyard this time," Aporia declared.

' _Why would he do that? Hardship will only reduce the damage again,'_ I wondered. Black-Winged Dragon was sent to the graveyard lowering Aporia's monster back to 4000 attack points. "I activate Hardship once again to prevent that damage."

Once it resolved though, Aporia called, "I activate Infinite Feast! This reequips Black-Winged Dragon and Red Nova Dragon to Mekanikle and inflicts 600 points of damage per monster to you for each time for each time Mekanikle has been equipped this turn."

"And since the two dragons were equipped during the Standby Phase and End Phase, Yusei will take 2400 points of damage," Jack calculated.

"I really wish Yusei had Black-Winged Dragon to negate that damage," Crow muttered.

"Eat this!" Aporia ordered angrily and the blast hit the dome hard making it crack a bit as my life points fell to 400. I was hoping Jayla wasn't using too much of her energy to keep this dome up. "And now I gain another 600 life points." Aporia's life points returned to a full 4000. And with two synchro monsters equipped, Mekanikle was back to a threatening 10,300 attack points. "I end my turn there. Next turn will be when I settle everything."

' _With only 400 life points left, if I take anymore damage I'll lose,'_ I thought worried.

"Don't hesitate, Yusei," Jack told me. "Our bonds are not broken so easily."

"Our bonds will lead us to victory," Crow added.

I looked at my glowing mark. _'I haven't lost hope,'_ I thought. _'This last card is my final hope. My cards, please answer my call.'_ The cards glowed and I drew. "I activate the effect of Hardship, destroying it and Shooting Star Dragon."

"Why would you destroy your own monster?" Aporia asked surprised.

"Because it also destroys all equip cards on the field, including Red Nova Dragon and Black-Winged Dragon," I answered and the attack of Mekanikle returned to its original 4000.

"Your field is now empty. You have no way to defeat my Meklord," Aporia told me.

"My turn isn't over. I summon Mystic Piper. And now I release it to draw a card and if that card is a monster, I can draw another," I declared and I drew Sonic Chick, allowing me to draw again saying, "In my hand lies hope. I activate my face down, Ghoul Summoner! This revives a synchro monster destroyed this turn and equips it to this card. So I summon Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600)!"

"Do you not get it? Synchro monsters are not match for Mekanikle," Aporia asked.

"I activate the other effect of Ghoul Summoner, allowing me to discard one card and revive another synchro monster and take damage equal to its attack," I played. "And I choose Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000)."

"Are you really going to take that damage?" Aporia wondered, obviously a bit shocked.

"Black-Winged Dragon has an effect. It gains one Black Feather Counter and loses 700 attack, but also negates the damage," Crow pointed out and Black-Winged Dragon took the damage while its attack lowered to 2100.

"And Red Nova Dragon gains 500 attack for every tuner monster in the graveyard (Red Nova Dragon: Attack 4500)," Jack added.

"I then use the effect of Ghoul Summoner again. By discarding another card, I can revive Shooting Star Dragon (Attack 3300/ Defense 2500)," I called and Crow's dragon gained another counter while lowering to 1400 attack.

"Summoning three synchro monsters in one turn? Is this the true power of a Signer?" Aporia wondered in shock.

"The despair will be overpowered by hope," I told him. "I then activate the effect of Black-Winged Dragon! By removing the two Black Feather Counters on it, I can reduce the effect of your Meklord Astro Mekanikle by 700 for each and inflict the same damage to you." The attack of Mekanikle and Aporia's life points fell to 2600 while Black-Winged Dragon returned to a normal 2800.

"And now Black-Winged Dragon has enough attack to surpass your monster," Crow pointed out.

"Black-Winged Dragon, attack Meklord Astro Mekanikle! Noble Stream!" I ordered. Aporia's life points fell to 2400, though the opposing member used the effect of Mekanikle to remove a Meklord Emperor component in his graveyard from play, being Granel Guard, to prevent its destruction.

"Take the match, Yusei," Jack told me.

"Red Nova Dragon, attack Mekanikle as well! Burning Soul!" I ordered. Aporia's life points fell to 500, but he removed Granel Attack from play to prevent his monster's destruction.

"I… I'm going to lose!" Aporia realized in utter shock.

"Our hope has surpassed your despair," I proclaimed. "Shooting Star Dragon, finish this now! Attack! Stardust Mirage!" My dragon attacked and destroyed Mekanikle and finished off Aporia's life points.

"How could my plan fail?! It couldn't have after coming so far!" Aporia exclaimed devastated. He reached out his hand which suddenly blew up. Jack, Crow, and I pulled over to the side of the road as Aporia's damaged runner sped past us and ramped into the water where it blew to pieces.


	60. Not Over

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 60**

 **Not Over**

Third Person POV

Jack, Crow, and Yusei pulled over to the side of the road as Aporia's damaged runner sped past them and ramped into the water where it blew to pieces. The three Signers demounted their runners.

"Nice win, Yusei," Jack complimented.

"The three of us did it," he respodned. "We should get back to our other friends." The friends that were next to him nodded and they returned to the stadium.

The twins, Bruno, Jayla, and Akiza rushed over to congratulate them once they arrived and they were quickly followed by Mina, Carly, and Stephanie who hurried to compliment Jack. Trudge, Team Ragnarok, and Elsworth also came and began to praise them.

"Thanks, guys," Yusei told them.

"Think it's over, Yusei?" Luna asked him.

"Yliaster's ambitions should be gone," I responded. "But something tells me otherwise." Jayla gave a small nod of agreement. They raised an eyebrow before the city started to shake. _'What's going on?'_ I questioned.

"There!" Crow exclaimed and pointed to the sky. To our shock, it was cracking up until a large hole had formed from it. The Divine Temple then slowly descended from it.

"This is impossible," Jack stated. "I had thought that the Divine Temple would disappear with our victory."

"Well, it's appeared," Crow retorted.

Yusei looked up at it with Jayla and he said, "It's as the last Ener-D of humanity. That's what my father called it before in my dream."

"Does Z-One really intend to destroy New Domino City?" Bruno wondered.

Lazar then came dashing over to us, warning, "You have to hurry over to Sector Security, so you can analyze Yliaster's motives and come up with a counter-measure."

"I'll join you," Elsworth offered.

"Mina and I should return to the station," Trudge stated.

"Yeah," Mina agreed. She turned to Carly and Stephanie. "You two should leave the area." Terrified by the recent happenings, the two obliged immediately and hurried away.

With that in play, Team 5Ds, Elsworth, and Lazar hurried off and arrived at Sector Security headquarters where a large group of workers were analyzing the situation.

"The power level from the Ener-D is falling below thirty percent and is continuing to drop," a worker commented. "At this rate, the Ener-D will reach a standstill."

"Check on the system's program. Search for any strange patterns or disturbances in the system," Lazar ordered.

That was when the equipment at the headquarters began to stop working. They switched to backup power and the staff received a response from the Ener-D reactor. What they said worried everyone, "The Ener-D Reactor is starting to spin in the opposite direction!"

"That's probably what's causing the Divine Temple to appear," Jack suspected.

Zigzix quickly made contact with Sector Security and stated, "I am aware of the problem. It's because the Divine Temple contains Ener-D that is spinning in a reverse rotation." He showed them images of the object they got from satellites. "Within the center of the structure, there are three Planetary Particle gears producing a large amount of Ener-D. Since it's rotating in reverse, it's producing minus Ener-D."

"So it's using that to take control of the Ener-D in New Domino?" Jack asked.

"Exactly," Zigzix confirmed. "This is not the most frightening problem, though." They looked at him a bit nervous. "The 'Cradle', as we could call it, is slowly descending onto the city. If things continue as is, the structure will hit the ground level within twelve hours. That'll produce a shock wave, destroying everything within a radius of several hundred kilometers, including the entire city." That shocked and worried everyone to no end.

"How long will it take to evacuate the city?" Lazar asked.

"It would require a minimum of twenty hours to get everyone out," was his answer.

"Send a broadcast to all video channels on the streets!" Lazar ordered. Once he was on, he declared a state of emergency and ordered everyone to evacuate. Being short on time, he gave a brief explanation of the situation and the impact from the Divine Temple to the citizens. He also stated that Sector Security will be dispatched to aid the evacuation and women, children, and the sick will be attended to direct. He the turned to the people in the headquarters. "This is an evacuation! I will not leave myself until everyone else is safe." People were visibly surprised by his sacrifice, but insisted that they leave and wished them luck.

Bruno took some images on the Divine Temple on screen. Lazar, Elsworth, and the rest of Team 5Ds looked up and Bruno said, "I have aimed all satellite cameras at the structure." They looked through the images, hoping to learn something.

"It's like a ruined city," Crow commented.

"Wait…" Yusei muttered. "Bruno, zoom in there." The man did and to everyone's surprise, it was the ruins of the original part of Daedalus Bridge.

"So New Domino really is going to be destroyed," Akiza commented.

"Is there any way for them to stop the Divine Temple?" Lazar asked.

There was a silence before Jayla suddenly said, "There might be." They looked at her shocked. She pulled up an illustration of the Ener-D Reactor in the Divine Temple. "A clockwise rotating Ener-D colliding with the Divine Temple reactor might reverse its direction."

"But the Ener-D in the city has stopped rotating, so it's impossible to change the situation," Lazar believed.

"No," Jayla stated. "That's not true." She was about to continue when she noticed something on the surveillance monitor.

Yusei turned to the monitor himself and noticed what she was. "Team Ragnarok is heading this way on their runners."

They went outside the building and met up with their former opponents. Yusei almost immediately asked, "How are you able to use your duel runners?"

Broder revealed his Rune eye along with Halldor and his last teammate. Halldor explained, "Since we haven't been affected by Yliaster's past actions, we haven't been affect by the minus energy."

"The same would be true for our duel runners, then, because of the Crimson Dragon," Jayla responded. "Even mine."

Yusei nodded. "If we can reach the Divine Temple with our working duel runners-"

"You are mistaken," came a familiar voice. Yusei and Jayla looked down to see Sherry on the monitor of his duel runner. He was surprised to see her alive and Elsworthy dashed over to see her. "Yusei, I have seen the future. Do not board the Divine Temple. In future, you die after entering."


	61. Enter

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 61**

 **Enter**

Third Person POV

"Yusei, I have seen the future. Do not board the Divine Temple. In the future, you die after entering," Sherry told him. That shocked him visibly and Jayla seemed extremely worried. Everyone else was mainly shocked, hearing this.

"Who told you this?" Jack asked sternly.

"A certain individual has shown me this future," Sherry replied.

"You're speaking as if you're our enemy! Who should you this fake future?" Crow pressed.

"Z-One, the being in the other dimension and in command of the Divine Temple, showed me this future," Sherry answered.

"That man that we saw!" Yusei realized while he, Jayla, and Bruno remembered the white, comma-shaped machine that appeared when they scanned the Z-ONE card at Sector Security.

"So Z-One is controlling Yliaster," Jack commented.

"Z-One is being righteous," Sherry responded. "If Yusei enters the Divine Temple, he will die."

"Are you willing to destroy the city, costing millions of lives?" Yusei asked, trying to keep his anger calm.

"By sacrificing them, billions more lives, including yours, will be saved," she replied.

"Listen, I want to keep Yusei alive more than anything, but there can't be happiness in a future obtained by those type of sacrifices," Jayla retorted.

"Jayla's right," Yusei agreed. "Destroying New Domino City is the wrong decision."

"You shall die either way, then," Sherry stated.

"I can't know that until I try," Yusei retorted.

"Mistress Sherry, where are you now?" Elsworth asked.

"I am in the Divine Temple," she answered.

"You're being held hostage," her servant commented.

"No," she responded. "I am here under my own free will. Elsworth, you need to forget about me." She turned back to Yusei. "I will attempt to kill you, Yusei, if you board the Divine Temple."

"Do you consider yourself our enemy?" Jack asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"Why?" Yusei asked.

"You once hated Yliaster, Sherry," Jayla reminded her. "Why turn to their side?"

"Seeing the future changed my mind. I am different from all of you," she explained before ending the connection.

Lazar watched surveillance of the city, seeing masses of people crowd the city as they evacuate. He turned to Team 5Ds and asked, "What should we do next? Even if we could collide a positive Ener-D with the Divine Temple, we don't know if it would stop it. The only working Ener-D we have on hand is within the duel runners of you and Team Ragnarok and the Old Ener-D Reactor. What if we use the Old Ener-D-"

"No, we can't use that reactor in its current minus Ener-D state," Jack interrupted. "It'll risk starting another Zero Reverse."

"It would be useful if we could get up there," Yusei thought aloud.

"Yeah, but all the helicopters and aircrafts in New Domino rely on Ener-D," Crow responded.

"There must be a way of getting up there," Yusei responded. "After all, Sherry's vision included me entering the Divine Temple, meaning a method would appear."

"That's positive thinking," Bruno commented.

"We need to focus on finding out what that method is," Yusei suggested.

"I think it would be better if we don't find out what that method is," Leo commented. Crow looked at the boy surprised. Him, his twin, and Akiza all looked depressed and Jayla just looked concerned, and the bird named man knew her concern was for Yusei. "I just feel we're better off avoiding something that's going to bring about Yusei's death." The two twins rush over to Yusei and Leo continued, "We don't want you to die." Leo felt fear filled tears beginning to stream down his face. "Don't go, Yusei. New Domino won't be saved by you doing-"

Before the boy could finish, Jack grabbed him by the collar and ordered, "Stop this selfish whining! We'll stop whatever Sherry saw in that vision and Yusei won't die! You know if any won't allow that, it'll be Jayla."

Jayla immediately called, "Jack, stop! You're fighting with a child!"

Jack let Leo down and folded his arms in frustration while Leo began crying in more fear. Yusei kneeled down in front of the boy and told him, "Jack's right. I won't die." Leo and Luna both ran into Yusei and hugged him, with both of them crying. He sighed and looked at his friends. "We need to start thinking on what we should do to get up there."

. . .

Yusei was alone for the moment a bit later, leaning against the wall. Jayla slowly walked up to him and also leaned against the wall next to him. They stood in silence for a few minutes.

Slowly, Jayla asked, "What're you thinking about, Yusei?"

He looked at her before sighing and explained, "I'm just thinking about my dream with my father. He warned me not to get close to the Divine Temple, because it's the place which leads to the destruction of mankind. I'm going to prevent any disasters like Zero Reverse from ravaging the city, even if it costs my life."

"You know I'm not going to let you die," Jayla replied sternly, but she wasn't looking at him.

Yusei looked at her. "Jayla, I want you to stay here and watch everyone," he told her just as stern.

"Yeah? Well, that's not going to happen, Yusei," she retorted. "If you have a chance of dying if you go there alone, then I'm sure as hell going to go with you to ensure you don't die. Besides, wasn't it you who said you didn't want me to feel that same pain you felt when I died?"

"Yes, I did," Yusei responded.

"Then how do you think I'll feel if you die while I stayed here, and I had a chance to come along and save you?" Jayla argued. "If I lose you, what'll happen with the Immortals that still have a good grip inside me?"

"But what if you die because you tagged along? How do you think I'll feel?" Yusei fought. "Do you want me to feel that pain again?"

"Yusei, you know if you duel, I'll be able to go into Stardust Dragon as soon as you summon it and I'll be safe. And I'll be able to protect you from any attack which would hurt you and even kill you," I replied. "And if Stardust is taken off the field, I can still protect you. I can make sure you don't die, so you're able to keep that promise to Leo and Luna."

"Jayla, that'll get you hurt. I'm not going to risk that happening," he continued to refuse.

"Yusei, as you recall, I can still fly and turn invisible," I responded. "Even if you said no and I supposedly gave in, I would still follow you and do the same thing. So I can either come with you and be by your side _visible_ and protecting you, or I can fly beside you in secret with you having no ability to see me let alone stop me. What's your choice?"

Yusei sighed, knowing how right she was. There was no way he could stop her. "Fine," he gave you. "But you are riding behind me and staying out of any danger unless I truly need it. Do you understand?"

"I make no promises, Yusei," she replied.

"Jayla, I-"

"Sorry if we're interrupting something. But, Yusei, we need to talk," Halldor stated as he and his team approached. The Signer gave them his full attention as did his girlfriend. "We shall use our hands to build you a road to the Divine Temple." He held out a card called Rainbow Bridge Bifrost. "The existence of Bifrost is a rainbow bridge that connects the human world to the realm of the gods. The god of light, Heimdallr, also known as the Candor of Light, stands guard at Bifrost's base."

"You're referring to the Old Ener-D," Yusei realized.

"Exactly," Halldor confused. "We plan to use its minus Ener-D, our duel runners, and the power of the Aesir to manifest the path with Rainbow Bridge Bifrost." Broder then showed Yusei the area he would be riding on, including the Daedalus Bridge.

"Bruno," Yusei called over the phone, almost as soon as the man picked up. "Can you come to me without the others noticing?"

"Yeah," he answered and slipped out of the building under some alibi that Yusei couldn't quite hear. He then met Yusei, Jayla, and Team Ragnarok outside the garage and they explained the plan. "Using the Old Ener-D with the three Aesir is an impressive idea."

"Since Yusei defeated Yliaster in the World Racing Grand Prix, Yusei should be able to save this world," Halldor commented. "No matter what it takes, I will get Yusei to the Divine Temple at all costs." He looked at Jayla. "And I have no doubt, you'll follow." She nodded, while no one seemed to notice Yusei's slight annoyance that she was willing to go, at the cost of losing her own life for his.

While the others gathered mechanical items, Broder brought a Domino Ice vendor's cart up. The machines were placed inside the cart which was tied to the back of Broder and Dragan's runners.

With that done, Team Ragnarok and Yusei mounted their runners, with Jayla getting behind Yusei are his final and stern urging. Bruno got on the back of the cart. They then drove off.

. . .

At Sector Security, Akiza noticed something unusual on the map. She looked into it and found Yusei on the highway. "Where are Yusei and Jayla going?" she asked while everyone gathered around.

"He's heading towards Satellite," Jack realized. He immediately contacted Yusei. "Yusei, where are you and Jayla going?"

"I have a plan to create a path to the Divine Temple. I couldn't talk Jayla out of coming with me," the Signer of the Head explained.

"Why weren't we told about something that important?" Jack asked.

"I'm going alone other than Jayla since, like I said, I couldn't talk her out of it. I'm sorry. Get the others to safety," Yusei replied before hanging up.

"We need to go after them," Crow stated. "Jayla can't protect Yusei on his own." They nodded and dashed out, but Crow stopped as he heard Elsworth curse his lack of a functional duel runner. "Elsworth, I promise I'll bring Sherry back safely."

"Take this," Elsworth responded and tossed the Signer the Z-ONE card. "It was a safekeeping Dr. LeBlanc had given to Sherry. If you should meet Sherry, give it to her."

"I will," Crow vowed before leaving.

Bruno and Team Ragnarok raced down a spiral staircase to the Old Ener-D reactor. They looked up at the Old Ener-D and began their work. Meanwhile Yusei looked at the Daedalus Bridge.

"You remembering the legend?" Jayla asked.

"Yeah," Yusei answered. "At the time, Rex Goodwin jumped off the bridge betting on changing the future." He then thought, _'I'm choosing the same path as you, Goodwin. Guide me so I can save New Domino.'_

Back at the Old Ener-D reactor, Halldor told Bruno, "You should exit the reactor now." The man nodded and left. The Aesir team connected their duel runners to the Ener-D and ran their duel runners at full power.

With their Rune eyes glowing, Dragan chanted, "When the door to Asgard opens, the ancient war god will raise up and use his magical hammer. The very earth itself will shake as he appears from a roar of thunder. Descend, Thor, Lord of the Aesir!" His monster appeared.

Broder then went next, "A fickle god is born in Asgard. Laugh at the world while you show them absolute power. Descend, Loki, Lord of the Aesir!" His monster followed in his appeareance.

Halldor followed to finish with his summoning of his monster, "Oh mighty king, he who rules over the heavens circling the northern stars, the time has now come to show your mighty self. He who reigns over the world ordained by the gods. The highest of all beings, supreme ruler, Odin, Father of the Aesir!" His grand monster descended. He then stated, "Since Ener-D is the power controlled by humanity, we shall use everything we have to utilize it." The Aesir held out their hands over the Old Ener-D tower, increasing the Ener-D's volume and reversing its rotation. "I call forth Bifrost!" A beam of Ener-D was created that shot into the sky. The sky glowed and a path appeared from the Daedalus Bridge.

"That's the Bifrost," Yusei remarked.

"Yeah," Jayla agreed. "Team Ragnarok did good."

"Let's go," Yusei stated. He was about to get on the bridge when they heard the others arriving.

"Yusei!" Crow called.

"I'm a bit surprised you got here so fast," the Head Signer commented. Jayla gave a 'really?' face but he ignored it.

"My knowledge of the back roads and shortcuts allowed us to catch up," Crow explained.

"Guys, I have to do this alone," Yusei stated.

"With me, you mean," Jayla corrected.

Yusei sighed in annoyance. "Yeah, and I still don't like it," he responded. "The dangers awaiting us on the Divine Temple are still unknown."

"We can't stop you from boarding," Jack commented, "but the opposite is also true. You can't stop us from boarding with you, especially because we're not going to accept a future where you die."

"We still have our bonds, Yusei," Akiza reminded him.

"I understand," he gave in. "Fine, if you're really set on it."

They all boarded the bridge and road onto the rainbow path at full speed. Leo was a bit frightened by the height. They turned as they got close to the Divine Temple and noticed Vizor coming up.

That's when Yusei and Jayla noticed the beam of Ener-D was beginning to fade away. _'What happened to Team Ragnarok?'_ Jayla thought as worried as she could tell Yusei was.

That's when everyone started to notice the Bifrost was starting to disappear from the bottom. Jack, Crow, and Leo managed to make it to the top. Yusei slowed down to assist Akiza and Luna.

"That's right! Akiza's duel runner wasn't modified!" Crow realized worried.

"Which means it's at risk of the bridge catching up to her," Jack added also worried.

Akiza and Luna caught up to Yusei. "At my speed, I don't think I'll make it," the second eldest female there told Yusei and Jayla.

Jayla jumped off Yusei's runner, immediately sprouting her wings so she could fly before Yusei could worry. She caught up to them almost immediately and told the youngest there, "Luna, jump over to Yusei's duel runner. That can reduce the weight on Akiza's and increase its speed."

"R-Right," she agreed. Yusei grabbed her and pulled her on.

Vizor sped in front of Yusei, Luna, and Akiza. The masked man then told Yusei, "I'm creating a slipstream. Get behind me." They did so and the three duel runners got in line. They barely managed to get on the Divine Temple in time, but did so and Jayla landed next to Yusei who looked at her.

Leo and Luna ran towards each other and Luna told her twin, "Sorry for making you worry."

"Are you okay, Akiza, Jayla?" Yusei checked.

"Yeah," Akiza answered.

"I'm fine, Yusei," Jayla followed.

Yusei turned to Vizor. "Thanks for the help."

Jack pulled over next to Vizor and demanded, "Okay, just who are you?"

"I have lost crucial memories and have come here to find answers," Vizor answered.

"Alright, enough!" Crow called. "We don't have time for these questions, as long as Vizor isn't an enemy."

"Right," Yusei agreed. "We need to head to the heart of the Temple. That's where Z-One is." He looked at Jayla. "Jayla, stay close." She nodded before they took off together, her flying directly beside Yusei.

They drove along the spiral towards the center of the structure. After a good drive, they arrived, only to find the heart of the Divine Temple was a mass of Ener-D.

"What do we do now?" Leo wondered.

. . .

Inside, they were being monitored by Z-One and Sherry. The mastermind told Sherry, "I shall invite them inside." He then opened a hole just below the Signers, former Dragon Protector, and twin.

The ones incapable of flight fell in and Jayla darted down. She was barely able to grab Yusei's hand. She managed to slow him down in his fall. But she was struggling to keep a grip on him.

"Jayla!" Yusei called as he saw his friends disappear into the hole. She reached down and grabbed a tighter grip on his forearm. "Jayla, let go now! I'll be fine!"

"No, Yusei," she denied. She felt her wings beginning to strain and the negative energy in here wasn't helping her strength.

"Jayla…" Yusei muttered. He then realized her wings were straining at his and her weight. "Jayla, if you don't let go, we both fall."

"Yusei, I'm not… letting you go," she denied pulling him up into her for better grip.

Yusei watched at the hole leading to the surface was sealed again. There was no getting out of here. Jayla seemed to notice it too. "Jayla, please-" That's when her wings finally gave out and she fell. Yusei immediately pulled her into him, to ensure that whatever was going on, he was certain she would be with him.

But he had a gut feeling that whatever was going to happen would be bad.


	62. Trickery

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 62**

 **Trickery**

Third Person POV

As the group of Signers and non-Signers fell, the Signers with duel runners had managed to get onto their duel runners, with Yusei getting Jayla on with him. Yusei spotted three platforms below and switched the headlight on his duel runner on.

Yusei, Jayla, and Vizor landed on one platform. Crow and Akiza landed on another. Jack lands on the third. Leo and Luna missed the platform, but Jack managed to catch Leo, who grabbed Luna's hand. The Signer of the Wings pulled them both onto his platform.

They looked at each other and the distance they were put apart. Jayla sighed and said, "There's definitely no way for us to regroup." They gave a small nod of agreement.

Vizor performed a quick scan using his duel runner and pulled up a map of the Divine Temple's internal structure on his monitor. "We're here," he stated pointing to their location. "By following a part from each platform, each group should be taken to a different one of the three Planetary Gears. If we don't stop those gears, the Ener-D's main gear will continue rotating and we won't be able to change it to a positive rotation. We don't have much time."

"We'll have to split up and stop the gears, then," Yusei decided.

As Jack readied his runner, Leo and Luna looked up anxiously. They were obviously fearing they would be left out. As such the Wings Signer told them, "You two heard Yusei. We have a mission to save the city." They smiled excitedly and set up the duel boards they had brought.

Crow then called over, "I'll do it. But Yusei, do not die."

"Trust me, I won't let him," Jayla stated.

With that said, the Signers of the Tail and Foot left. Leo and Luna caught onto the sides of Jack's runner, and the driver of the runner drove off with them. Yusei, Vizor, and Jayla nodded at each other before driving through the remaining path.

. . .

Elsewhere, Z-One monitored the group splitting up and said to Sherry, "It is as you predicted. They are coming despite the warning of Yusei's death."

"I'll stop them," Sherry stated. "I'll make sure your plan to change the future works." As she left, she called to him, "And for you to fulfill my wish."

Akiza's POV

Crow and I arrived at the first gear. But that was when Sherry appeared before us and claimed, "This is as far as you go." We just watched her. "I shall help Z-One and make sure everything is erased accordance to his plan."

"But, Sherry, you had sworn revenge on Yliaster for killing your parents," I reminded.

"Do you think your parents would be pleased seeing you do this?" Crow asked.

"Don't talk like you understand everything," Sherry ordered.

"How about this?" Crow responded before sending over the Z-ONE card to her. "Elsworth had given it to me. It had been your memento from your father."

"You are right, because everything occurred because of this card," Sherry admitted. She then began to reflect on the day she found her parents' murdered bodies and reminisced that her happy days were ruined since then. "After finding the card in the teddy bear, I risked everything to find the murderers of my parents. I even interrogated someone and Momentum Express was erased from history. The only source I had was erased from this world. Now that I have lost my only purpose, what am I supposed to do now?" Neither Crow nor I answered. "I have made a deal with Z-One; Where by cooperating with him, I shall grant my one true wish."

"What is that wish?" Crow asked. The opposing woman didn't answer.

"Is this wish really worth sacrificing the lives of the people who will be crushed by the Divine Temple?" I asked.

"My wish cannot be compared to those lives," she replied. "I no longer have any use for this card."

Sherry was about to throw it back, but Crow called, "That card is important to you, so you should be the one keeping it."

"You're letting your opponent have such a powerful card?" she questioned.

"I don't mind," he replied.

Sherry shuffled it in her deck and prepared their duel. With a flash of white light, the Planetary Gear was connected to Sherry. "The Planetary Gear is now connected to my life. You must defeat me to stop the gear."

Seeing no other way, Crow and I prepared ourselves for a standing duel and agreed to her terms.

Sherry went first. She declared, "I activate the field spell, Ecole de Zone!" Mist filled the room. "With this, none of the players are able to make direct attacks. You, Akiza and Crow, will make good opponents." She then split into two identical body.

The mist got thicked and Crow and I were separated from each other's view. The mist around me cleared and I found myself in a rose garden. I was standing on the water of a pond without sinking in the slightest. Shattered stone pillars throughout the area, some floating in midair. There were stairs both upside down and rightside up and a peculiar eye in the sky. Sherry stood before me on the rightside up stairs.

"You and Crow are each on a different field where you'll fight me," Sherry told me. "I end my turn." The location then rotated and the staircase Sherry was on now appeared upside down with Akiza.

I took a breath to calm myself. "It's my turn, then," I stated and drew my card. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight (Attack 1000/ Defense 1000) in-" It was immediately destroyed and replaced with a token that had 1000 attack. "Is that the field spell's effect?" I shook my head. "I end my turn."

Once again the scenery moved around and Sherry was now facing me from the top of a tower. "I summon Mask Token (Attack 700/ Defense ) in attack mode. I then set a card face down and end my turn," my opponent called.

' _So Sherry summoned the same Token, but with a different attack,'_ I noted. I then drew my card to begin my turn. "I release my Mask Token to summon Rose Tentacles (Attack 2200/ Defense 1200)!" As I expected, my Rose Tentacles was quickly replaced with a larger Mask Token with 2200 attack. "My Mask Token, attack Sherry's!" The attack succeeded and my Mask Token attacked Sherry's, destroying it and dropping Sherry's life points to 2500. "That ends my turn."

. . .

The duel went on for a bit and I began panting as I lost life points, leaving me at 2800. I then looked up to see Blackwing- Kogarashi the Wanderer on Sherry's side of the field.

"Why do you have a Blackwing?" I asked my opponent. She just smiled.

Third Person POV

In the mist where Sherry initially played Ecole de Zone. "I activate Imitation! This lets me select one Token on the field and special summon a Mask Token copy of it on your side of the field and inflict damage to you equaling half its attack," Sherry played.

. . .

A Mask Token with 1700 was summoned next to Akiza before it slapped her, dropping her life points to 1950.

Akiza, who didn't see Sherry playing Imitation wondered, _'What just happened?'_ She then remembered something, _'The same thing happened when my Token had its attack halved when it was attacked by Kogarashi. Did it come from another duel?'_ She looked at the Blackwing monster and quickly remembered Sherry splitting in two. That's when Akiza realized what was going on. _'Sherry's a liar.'_

. . .

In the original room, Sherry noticed that Akiza realized something. _'There is still no escape for her,'_ she thought, still as confident as ever.

. . .

"Sherry, you've underestimated the bonds of Team 5Ds," Akiza told her opponent. "Kogarashi has another effect. Although it is my opponent's monster, I can tune it with my monster for a synchro summon. So I tune it with my Masked Token to synchro summon. Rise, Black Rose Dragon!" Her magnificent dragon rose to the field. "And thanks to the effect of Kogarashi, it prevents Black Rose Dragon from being destroyed." This meant it prevented it from being replaced with a Token. "I then use Black Rose Dragon's effect to destroy every card on the field. Black Rose Gale!"

All the cards were destroyed, including Ecole de Zone, the garden was gone as was Crow's location. Akiza and Crow found themselves standing next to each other in the original room across from Sherry.

"You're not smart enough. You lead us to believe we were facing you on different fields," Crow told her.

"But we were really participating in a Battle Royal and as Crow and attacked what we thought was you, we were really attacking each other," Akiza continued.

"You're just using cowardly tricks," Crow accused.

"I am impressed you figured it out," Sherry merely replied.

"I was confident Akiza would solve it," Crow responded.

Akiza nodded. "It was thanks to Yusei. He had us, Jack, and him meet to learn how each other's decks work in order to fight as a team."

Sherry laughed. "I am impressed you figured out my trick. But you are pitiful if you think you've got the upper hand," she responded. "When Black Rose Dragon destroyed everything, I could activate my face down card: Z-ONE! Since it was destroyed, I can use its effect." She held the card over her head as she called, "The card my father left me will lead you into oblivion."


	63. Wishes

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 63**

 **Wishes**

Third Person POV

Z-ONE was just destroyed, allowing Sherry to activate its effect. "With this effect, I shall send you to their grave."

"What's your motive behind doing this, Sherry?" Akiza asked again.

"I want my family back!" the opponent answered.

"Is that the wish you asked for?" Akiza asked.

"I had a meeting with Z-One after I was sucked out of a dimension shuttle," she began to explain.

 **-Flashback-**

"I have the power to grant any wish," Z-One stated. "I ask that you join me, and I will grant any wish you desire."

"I will use my strength to defend your cause as long as you bring back my family," Sherry agreed.

"Very well. Your task shall be defeating Yusei," Z-One told her.

"Yusei?" Sherry repeated in a quiet voice, a bit surprised.

"Is there a problem with that?" Z-One asked.

"No, I don't care as long as we have our deal," Sherry replied.

"Lend me your power," Z-One told her. Then the card Soul-Binding Gate appeared beside them.

 **-Flashback Ended-**

"I shall defeat you two and by doing so, Z-One's power will change my past and I will still be with my family," Sherry told her two opponents.

"No way! Are you really intending to destroy New Domino City just to get your family back?" Crow protested.

"I have no hope for the future," Sherry replied, "but at the very least would like to get my family back." She then turned to continue the duel. "With the effect of Z-One, I am allowed to remove the Field Spell Card Soul-Binding Gate in my deck from play, allowing me to use its effect to play Z-ONE on the field and make it unable to be destroyed." A large wall and gate wrapped around the Planetary Gear and a skeleton fixed to the gate clasps its hands around Sherry's body. "I will never allow you to ruin Z-One's plan, even at the cost of my life!"

"Why?" Crow asked.

"Continue the duel," Sherry ordered.

"I summon Crystal Rose Angel (Attack 1400/ Defense 700)," Akiza declared.

"Now the copied effect of Soul-Binding Gate activates. This destroys monsters summoned with attack lower than my life points and inflicts 800 points of damage to each player," Sherry responded. The monster was destroyed and Akiza, Crow, and Sherry's life points dropped to 1150, 1700, and 3200.

All three players cried out as they suffered a massive amount of pain from the damaged they sufficed. But the two Signers could feel the pain gradually lessen a bit. Akiza and Crow both knew that despite their Dragon Protectors were long gone from this world, they were still there protecting them for this one last fight.

"The damage is real! And it's probably caused by Z-ONE," Crow realized.

"And since it's real damage, losing will cost them our lives," Akiza assumed.

"Yes," Sherry confirmed.

' _Since Sherry has 3200 life points, it will be difficult to summon a monster with enough attack to avoid immediate destruction. We could use the effect of Soul-Binding Cate to lower Sherry's life points to a minimum attack, but that would also cause me to lower mine and Akiza's life points and quickly drop us to 0,'_ Crow thought.

"Don't worry about me, Crow," Akiza called. He looked at her a bit shocked. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

Crow drew his card to start his turn. "I set two cards and end my turn," he called.

Sherry laughed. "You refuse to summon a monster! Is this how friends protect each other?" She began her turn. "I summon Necro Fleur!" But it was immediately destroyed by the effect of Soul-Binding Gate. Akiza, Crow, and Sherry's life points dropped to 350, 900, and 2400. "And since it was destroyed, the effect of Necro Fleur activates, special summoning Sorciere de Fleur (Attack 2900/ Defense 0)." And because it had an attack of 2900, it was not destroyed by the effect of Soul-Binding Gate.

"A direct attack will cause either me or Akiza to lose," Crow realized.

"I do not plan my victory with only a direct attack. Instead I use the effect of Sorciere de Fleur to special summon Crystal Rose Angel from Akiza's graveyard!" Sherry responded. Akiza's monster was immediately destroyed again. "Farewell, Akiza. Crow's defeat will quickly follow."

"Not happening!" Crow refused. "I activate Chaos Life! Since an effect was about to reduce a player's life points to 0, Chaos Life negates the damage and increases our life points by the same amount!" All their life points returned to 1150, 1700, and 3200.

Sherry seemed quite mad and called, "Sorciere de Fleur, attack Crow directly!"

"I activate Crystal Veil!" Akiza called. "By removing Crystal Rose Angel in my graveyard from play, I can inflict damage to you equal to half its attack and negate the attack." Sherry's life points fell to 2500. Akiza then turned to her companion. "Thanks, Crow."

"You, too, Akiza," he responded.

"Do you think that one move is going to make me lose? The result of the duel will be the same with or without the effect of the Soul-Binding Gate," Sherry told them.

"Sherry, end the duel," Crow tried.

"With the chance of reuniting with my family, I cannot. You would do the same thing given the chance," Sherry responded.

"I wouldn't," Crow disagreed.

"The truth would speak differently," Sherry argued. "To demonstrate my meaning, I will show you Z-One's world using Z-ONE!"

They were then engulfed in a bright light.

. . . .

Akiza and Crow found themselves in a play parking lot. Silhouettes of a number of children were present, including two Crow recognized as Crow's orphan friends: Daichi and Ginga. They watched as the children's parents were alive and the two kids Crow had known as orphans ran to hug their parents as they were call.

"This is the world changed by Z-One's power, a world where people get everything that they wish for," Sherry told them. "Deep in your heart, Crow, you know that Zero Reverse ruined people's lives. However, in this world, people are able to see their real families. Once the duel is over, I shall be going to this world."

. . . .

They came out of the vision and Sherry called, "I end my turn."

Akiza looked at Crow and noticed something about him. _'Crow's been… moved by that vision,'_ she realized a bit worried. "Crow, don't listen to Sherry." He looked at Akiza. "We have to save the city, Yusei, and the others. Is it truly worthy it to bet the safety of the people of New Domino City on a slim chance of getting the children's parents back?" She turned to the duel, drawing her card. And to Crow's surprise, Akiza called, "I summon Blue Rose Dragon (Attack 1600/ Defense 1200)!" It was quickly destroyed and dropped her, Crow, and Sherry's life points back down to 350, 900, and 1700. "Now the effect of Blue Rose Dragon activates, allowing me to revive Black Rose Dragon from my graveyard with its effects negated." Luckily, since its attack surpassed Sherry's newly decreased life points, it wasn't destroyed. "I then set a face down and end my turn." She then thought, _"This is all up to you, Crow.'_

Before Crow draws, Sherry called, "Think carefully, Crow. By giving up this duel, you can have the children reunited with your families." Crow looked down, obviously thinking of his little orphans with their families.

"Crow, remember our true mission," Akiza tried.

"I'm just… I might cause you to lose," Crow responded.

"He is right, Akiza. You only have 350 life points and if he summons a monster with less than 1700 attack, you will lose," Sherry told her.

Akiza, however, ignored her. "Crow, Yusei had saved me from the darkness of my psychic powers because he put his life on the line to change me. Because of that moment, my powers faded and a new me was created. If you believe in your own potential and live on, you're bound to change the future. Believe in the future of those children and live with how things are to the fullest. Isn't that how you think?"

Crow obviously took what Akiza said to heart. "Yusei and Jack have always helped me out. I'm sorry, everyone, for nearly making a mistake," he apologized. He then turned back at Sherry and stared back, now determined.

"How can you abandon the only chance of everyone getting back their families."

"I believe in the future of the city and in Yusei," he replied and drew his card. He looked at all his cards and examined the duel. _'Why did Akiza summon Black Rose Dragon is she is trying to protect her life point? Wait, her face down! I know what she's doing and I'll believe in her,'_ he thought. "I activate Blackback! This revives Blackwing- Bora the Spear (Attack 1700/ Defense 800) from my graveyard and losing the ability to normal summon this turn." And with 1700 attack, Bora wasn't destroyed. "I then activate Rendering Tuning! It special summons Blackwing- Hurricane the Tornado (Attack 0/ Defense 0) from my hand. And due to its effect, the attack of Hurricane becomes the attack of Black Rose Dragon (Blackwing - Hurricane the Tornado: Attack 2400)." This prevented it from being destroyed. "And then I activate Level Wing, which increases the level of Hurricane to 4. Now I tune my two monsters to synchro summon. Soar high, Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600)!"

"What awaits someone like me who has lived my entire life waiting for revenge?" Sherry asked. "My father only left me the power of the Z-ONE card."

"What would your parents say if they saw you now?" Crow asked.

"Stop!" Sherry yelled. "I have spent my life trying to avenge my parents, but I haven't seen them in that time! How would you know how that feels?!"

"Being able to live on is enough," Crow replied. "Destroying a city to bring back lost family members is unnecessary. Is people believe in the future, anything can happen!"

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!" she yelled. The skeleton then lifted her up higher.

Seeing no other way out, Crow ordered, "Black-Winged Dragon, attack Sorciere de Fleur!"

"The attack is useless since my monster has a higher attack," Sherry retorted.

"Watch how we change the future," Crow told her.

Akiza nodded. "I have been waiting for this moment. I activate Synchro Stream! This increases the attack of Black-Winged Dragon by that of Black Rose Dragon (Black-Winged Dragon: Attack 5200)!"

With that attack, Sorciere de Fleur was destroyed. Sherry saw a silhouette of her father as he life points dropped to 0. The walls created by Soul-Binding Gate began to crumble. As the skeleton shattered, Crow rushed over to try and save Sherry as she fell. Seeing the danger he was putting himself in, Akiza ran after him.

. . .

On the ways to the other gears, Jack, Leo, Luna, Yusei, and Vizor realized that Crow and Akiza had done it. The first Planetary Gear was shut down.

. . .

As Sherry lied on the ground, she heard something familiar: Her father's voice and was brought in a memory from her childhood.

 **-Flashback-**

"The way of life prevents people from knowing if they will be happy or said. But you must never give up. Task yourself to do justice, so the future can look brighter. Take this," her father told her and gave her the teddy bear that had the Z-ONE card hidden inside.

 **-Flashback Ended-**

"My father was right," Sherry whispered. "I'm sorry…"

Crow and Akiza were lying injured next to her and slowly got up.

"What happened?" Akiza wondered. They looked up to see Black Rose Dragon protecting them from the larger parts of the crumbling wall. "Rose…" she whispered, trying to stay strong. She still felt guilty that Rose died after she had sent her away. She felt like if she hadn't sent her Dragon Protector away, she wouldn't have been killed. Despite Jayla's and the other's words, she couldn't shake that guilt.

"Even after death, Akiza, she still has that will to protect you," Crow told her. She looked at him. The dragon of roses then healed them and vanished.

This lead to Crow thinking, _'What's the true nature of psychic powers?'_

"Akiza, Crow, what can I do in my current state? If I have nothing left…" she trailed off.

"If you have nothing left, you can assist us in changing the future," Crow suggested.

She took another look at Z-ONE and said, "My father had advised me to task myself to do justice… I will help." He helped her up. "How about we get going to the center gear? That's where Yusei should be waiting for us." They nodded and left for their new destination.


	64. Beginning of True Despair

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Hell, yeah! I finally got it out! I am SO SO SO SO SO sorry this took so long to get up. I got really busy with school work and Drama and everything and THEN we had a six-day power outage that was due to a 50-60 mph wind storm. It ended with over 500,000 (I'm pretty sure I'm remembering the number correctly) people without power. So I haven't been able to do much at all. Once again, I'm so sorry this took so long to get out. I was trying my hardest, but time and schedules were not on my side.**

 **I will try to update the next one as soon as I can. I promise I will. And with any luck, that'll be within the next couple weeks. I'll try my best. Again, I apologize with the most my heart can offer. Now, enough of me ranting and apologizing, let's get to the story again!**

 **Chapter 64**

 **Beginning of True Despair**

Third Person POV

In another route, Jack, Leo, and Luna had also been traveling for quite a while. As such, Leo asked, "Should we turn back?"

"We've come this far. We should continue," Jack answered.

"Yeah, I guess. We'll reach the core soon and see Yusei again," Leo agreed.

"Is Yusei really going to die?" Luna wondered.

"We're here to stop that future," Jack reminded them. "Besides, if anyone won't allow him to die, it'll be Jayla." He then thought to himself, _'If Yusei really does die, I won't be able to settle the scores. Yusei, don't die on us.'_

Jack and the twins reached the end of their route and the twins dismounted from Jack's runner. They saw the Ener-D light, and Jack commented, "We must've reached the Planetary Gear."

That's when Aporia appeared before them. "You are correct. But I will stop you from reaching the gear," he vowed.

A hole opened in the wall and three devices ejected from it. They clamped onto Jack, Leo, and Luna's chests and cuffs came out of the floor and wrapped around their left feet. The two Signers and twin struggled to pull the devices off, but they were stuck on. That's when needles began to come out of the devices and pierced into their bodies in the direction of their hearts.

"Damn you, Aporia! What are these?" Jack demanded.

"These are to stop you from running away. But I shall crush you before you can even think of running away. I shall not let you reach the Planetary Gear, not unless you can defeat me in a duel," the Guardian of Despair stated.

The twins were worried to no end, but Jack mere called, "Bring it on! I'll defeat you!"

To their surprise, Leo and Luna found that their duel disks could activate, meaning the Ener-D is working again. Leo stated, excited, "That means I can help too!"

"Leo, be careful. This is a fight for Team 5Ds," Jack reminded the boy.

Leo nodded even more excited and turned to Luna, "Do your best!" Luna nodded but seemed to get a bit more worried. "I'll protect you, Luna."

"This duel will follow Tag Duel rules. I will start with 4000 life points and go first. After my turn, each of you will get a turn and continue to rotate that way," Aporia explained. The ring came off Aporia's back and formed into a duel disk. The duel began with that. "I activate the Field Spell, Fortissimo the Mobile Fortress!"

The arena changed to a blue, tube-like enclosure. The walls were lined with hexagons connected by pipes, all connected to a giant fortress that Aporia stood in. The floor Jack and twins were standing on is left floating mid-air inside the tube. Aporia's legs joined and his lower body opened to reveal a number of connection ports. An array of wires came out of the fortress and connected to him.

Aporia then said, "With this, the duel is now set up. Your lives are connected to this duel. If your life points reach zero, so do your lives."

"That means we could die!" Leo realizes.

"You can't treat our lives like this!" Jack refused.

"I don't have a choice," Aporia pointed out. "The thing attached to you three cause the Planetary Gear to spin, meaning that your wasteful hearts will be fighting against machines."

 **-Flashback-**

Z-One approached Aporia and asked, "Do you want to stop humanity?"

"I do," the Guardian of Despair answered.

"What do you mean by humans?" Z-One asked. "Your three embodiments of despair created three humans, whom I have named Lester, Primo, and Jakob, and the three of them were used for your rebirth."

"I no longer need despair," Aporia answered. "After losing to Team 5Ds in the World Racing Grand Prix, I lost my feeling of despair and that is what saved me. When I lost and felt there would be trouble, I felt despair. That is why I have decided I no longer need it nor hope. All I need are machines because, with them, I believe I can protect you for the sake of the future."

 **-Flashback Ended-**

"For the sake of the future, I shall not let you passed," Aporia told Jack and the twins, "not until your life points hit zero." He turned back to the duel. "I activate the effect of Fortissimo the Mobile Fortress! Once per turn, it lets me special summon a level four or lower machine-type monster from my hand. So I special summon Meklord Army of Wisel (Attack 1800/Defense 0)! Next I normal summon Meklord Army of Skiel (Attack 1200/ Defense 1000)! And then I set three cards face down and end my turn."

"He's using new monsters," Luna commented as surprised as her twin.

Leo went next, thinking, _'I'm ready to prove my skills.'_ He then called for the duel, "I summon Morphtronic Staplen (Attack 1400/ Defense 1000) in defense mode."

"I activate one of my face downs! The continuous trap card, Level Cannon! When a player summons a monster, Level Cannon inflicts 200 damage times the monster's level to the player," Aporia called.

Two blasts were fired and Leo was hit as his life points fell to 3200. When the smoke cleared from the blasts, Luna noticed the floor had been damaged and wondered, "Was that a real impact?"

"Like I said, your lives are linked to the duel. So as your life points decrease, you will receive real pain," Aporia explained. "If you don't want that to happen, I advise you come at me with full force."

"Dammit, Aporia! You should be fighting me alone. Release the other two!" Jack ordered angrily. Their opponent remained silent.

Leo stood up from the blast and told his elder friend, "Don't worry about it. It was only a small amount of damage. I'm okay." However, he added in thought, _'I am worried about Luna taking that kind of damage.'_ He then finished his turn. "I set three cards and end my turn."

Luna drew her card to go next. _'Will I take the same impact as Leo if I summon a monster?'_ she thoughts worried.

"Don't worry," Leo told her noticing her worry. "I'll protect you."

Luna looked at her twin's three face downs. _'He might have something that can prevent damage,'_ she thought. She turned to the duel. "I set two cards face down and summon Armored White Bear (Attack 1800/Defense 1400) in defense mode."

"Well, then, Level Cannon activates," Aporia called.

"I activate Damage Eraser!" Leo called. "This negates the damage and gains the same amount as life points. I won't let you hurt Luna so easily."

"We'll see. I activate Damage Boost!" Aporia called. "This negates the effect of your Damage Eraser and doubles the damage." An array of rockets was fired at Luna, who cried out as her life points fell to 2400.

"Are you okay?" Leo called.

She dropped to her knees and called, "I end my turn."

"As it is your end phase, I can use the effect of Fortissimo the Mobile Fortress to inflict another 100 damage to you since you don't control a machine type monster," Aporia played.

"Stop this!" Leo ordered angrily.

A beam was fired out of the wall and struck Luna. Luna's life points were lowered to 2300 and she lied on the floor injured. Leo started to blame himself for Luna taking so much damage and began to cry a bit.

"Don't cry," Jack told him. "We have to fight this battle until the end." He then added in thought, _'With their lives on the line, the twins' bodies won't be able to take this. I swear I'll stop it.'_ He began his turn by drawing his card and calling, "I activate Trap Pulse! This negates the effects of your continuous trap cards until the end phase." Level Cannon turned gray as its effect was negated. "Also, for each card negated, I draw a card." He drew his card. "I discard Synchro Soldier to special summon Power Giant (Attack 2200/ Defense 0) from my hand. Now the level of Power Giant is decreased by the level of the monster discarded to summon it (Power Giant: Level 5). Next I normal summon Dark Resonator (Attack 1300/ Defense 300)! Now I tune my two monsters together. The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here. Take witness to its creation shaking power. Synchro summon! My soul, Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/Defense 2000)!"

Leo celebrated a bit and called, "I'll also stay strong to protect Luna. I activate Power Up Connector and equip it to Morphtronic Staplen. This prevents it from attacking, but transfers its attack to Red Dragon Archfiend (Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 4400)." He looked at Jack. "The rest is up to you." However, Jack didn't seem too impressed.

"I activate Power Gravity! This transfers the attack boost to one of his monsters and drops the original target's attack to 0 (Meklord Army Wisel: Attack 3200; Red Dragon Archfiend: Attack 0)," Aporia fought.

Leo began to blame himself again as Jack finished his turn with a set face down. As it was his end phase, Fortissimo activated, dropping Jack to 3900. Leo fell to his knees and apologized to Jack, his guilt beginning to get a hold on him.

"Don't cry again," Jack told him. "The duel isn't over yet. Stand up and continue!"

"But what can I do?" Leo asked.

Luna called a bit standing up slowly, "I'm okay. Please, do _your_ best."

Leo's eyes begin to water a bit as he began to think, _'I'm not a good brother.'_

Aporia began his turn. "Since there is only one card in my hand, I am able to activate Aurora Draw, which lets me draw two cards." He drew the instructed amount of cards. "Next I normal summon Meklord Army of Granel." The effect of Level Cannon activated, dropping his own life points to 3200. However, when the smoke cleared, he appeared completely unharmed.

"Don't you feel pain?" Jack asked.

Aporia ignored the Signer and called, "I activate the effect of Meklord Army of Granel! This halves the defense of Armored White Bear (Armored White Bear: Defense 700)! Now, Meklord Army of Wisel, attack Red Dragon Archfiend! Ghoul Kick-Up!" His monster sliced Jack's ace in two and dropped his life points to 700. Jack's device started to flash red and Jack fell to the ground in pain. "Now the effect of Meklord Army of Wisel allows Meklord Army of Skiel to inflict piercing damage. Meklord Army of Skiel, attack Armored White Bear! Twin Pulse!" The attack destroyed Luna's monster and dropped her life points to 1800. "Now Meklord Army of Granel, attack her directly! Gravity Prester!" Her life points fell to 200 and she fell to the floor.

"Luna!" Leo called and tried to go over to her, but was held back by the cuff on his foot. He then realized both his twin and friend were lying unconscious. "Why did this happen?"

"I activate Lock-On Laser! When an opponent sets a card in the spell and trap card zone, it will inflict 200 damage to them. You three act on your feelings alone and you'll pay for such actions with your life points, as your lives trickle away in the process," Aporia called. "Jack and Luna may even already be gone. After all, they lie motionless, do they not?" Leo fell to his knees. "By having hearts, humans are so easily robbed of hope and by spending their time searching for such desires, they subject themselves to suffering. It is ridiculous. It is your hearts on the destruction of the future. Leo, this is despair. I end my turn." A single tear dropped from Leo's eye.


	65. A Sixth Signer

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 65**

 **A Sixth Signer**

Leo's POV

During Aporia's end phase, Power Gravity was destroyed, causing the attack of Meklord Army of Wisel to return to normal.

I began to cry again. "This is my fault… I'm so sorry Luna, Jack…"

I turned when Jack stood up as he told me, "Did you really think I would really lose like this?" Luna started to get up, too, and Jack added, "We haven't lost yet, so you shouldn't abandon your hope."

"What should I do?" I asked, starting to go into a fit of doubt.

"Snap out of it!" Jack ordered shocking me a bit.

"R-Right," I reluctantly agreed. _'I just haven't been doing my best,'_ I tried to assure myself. I began his turn.

"Have you come for some more?" Aporia asked. "If you summon a monster, Level Cannon will merely inflict 200 points of damage time the monster's level and Lock-On Laser will inflict 200 points of damage for each spell and trap card you set. In the current stair, there isn't much Luna and Jack can do since they have lower life points."

' _I'm the only one who can move now,'_ I thought. _'But will doing something result in Jack and Luna taking damage again?'_ I then called, "I end my turn."

Luna struggled to stand up and began her turn. She merely ended it without doing anything.

That's when I realized my mistake, _'I should have used my turn to find a way to stop Luna from taking damage!'_

The effect of Fortissimo the Mobile Fortress activated since Luna didn't control a machine-type monster. She was struck by a laser and her life points fell to a mere 100, causing her to drop to the ground again in apin.

"Aporia, why are you going so far against a child?!" Jack yelled angrily.

He just told the Signer, "Give up and realize you won't be able to save New Domino City. In this duel, I plan to give you a glimpse of what I have suffered because of despair; and when I am done, you will all give up and beg to evolve. Then Z-One will lead you to a better future."

"I won't give in to despair!" Jack refused and began his turn. "I summon the tuner monster Clock Resonator (Attack 1200/ Defense 600) in defense mode. Once per turn, it can't be destroyed by battle or by card effect."

' _Why did he summon a monster?'_ I thought surprised as Level Cannon activated and dropped Jack's life points to his own mere 100 left.

"I end my turn," Jack finished.

"Since Clock Resonator is a machine-type monster, you won't take any damage from Fortissimo. You have saved your life with a narrow escape. But there is no point in summoning a monster if you still feel pain," Aporia commented.

' _Aporia's wrong as Jack was trying to teach me something,'_ I believed. I then realized it, _'While I am in darkness now, there is hope ahead of me!'_

Aporia seemed to sense the hope still in me. "Will your hope devour the human race? Is it telling you to synchro summon to lead the world to destruction?" he asked me. He then began his turn. "I activate Boon of the Meklord Emperor! This allows me to draw one for each Meklord Army monster I control." He drew three. He spun the cards mid air over his fingers and vowed, "I shall cut off the hope that the humans believe in. Since I control three Meklord Army monsters, I can special summon Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk (Attack 0/ Defense 0) from my hand!" A vent of Fortissimo opened and three infinity symbols joined at their centers inside it. The combined symbols spun rapidly and rushed out of the vent on top of a vortex. Once the vortex cleared, the monster Aporia summoned appeared in its place, with the combined symbols forming the pattern on top of its head. "And now the attack of Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk becomes the combined attack of all face up machine type monsters I control (Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk: Attack 4600)." The effect of Level Cannon activated again to deal Aporia 2000 points of damage as Asterisk was a level 10. "But I won't take the damage. After all, the effect of Meklord Army of Skiel negates any damage greater than 1000 I would take. And there is more effects that Asterisk has; You cannot attack a machine-type monster other than Asterisk and if any of you summon a synchro monster, it will inflict 1000 points of damage to you."

"This is just as good as synchro monsters being sealed," I commented.

"That Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk is the ultimate Meklord Emperor," Jack remarked.

With four monsters, including his trump card, on Aporia's side of the field, I began to worry even more as I thought, _'Aporia could finish the duel this turn. Although Jack's Clock Resonator can negate its destruction once per turn, Meklord Army of Wisel can allow one of Aporia's monsters to inflict piercing damage, dropping any of our life points zero. Luna… This is the same as always. If I'm going to protect her, I need to be her hero and not stand and watch. This has happened before.'_

 **-Flashback-**

Luna and I were young kids and I offered to give Luna a piggyback. We later laughed together, and later I watched her cry.

. . .

One day, Luna collapsed on the street, the first time she went to the Duel Monster's Spirit World. While Luna laid in bed, I stayed at her side, praying to God to find a way to save her. I begged for Luna to be alive.

 **-Flashback Ended-**

' _I wasn't able to help Luna back then,'_ I thought upset. I began to cry again, thinking, _'It's the same case now.'_ That's when I saw my tears hitting my cards and realized, _'I'm wrong. I can save Luna in this duel!'_ He then called, "I'm not going to be on the sidelines anymore!" Luna smiled at seeing my enthusiasm. "I won't give into despair, as long as there is life in hope." I then thought, _'I was willing to give my life for Luna to be okay, my life points are my weapon in the duel.'_

Jack and Luna each had 100 life points and Aporia and I each had 3200. Aporia called, "I will close the curtains and create a conclusion, known as despair. Meklord Army of Skiel, attack Jack's Clock Resonator! Twin Pulse!"

"I activate Block Lock!" I called. "This changes the attack target to my Morphtronic Staplen. And the effect of Staplen prevents it from being destroyed by battle."

"Either way, I activate the effect of Meklord Army of Wisel to inflict piercing damage!" Aporia called. I was hit by a shower of bullets and my life points dropped to 3000.

"Since it was involved in battle, Staplen's effect activates, swtching itself to attack mode and your Meklord Army of Skiel and Meklord Army of Granel to defense mode!" I called. With less of Aporia's monsters in attack mode, the attack of Asterisk dropped to 1800.

Impressed, Jack asked more to himself, "Is this what you had been aiming for?"

"Meklord Army of Wisel, attack Staplen!" Aporia called.

My monster was destroyed, dropping my life points to 2600."Since Staplen was destroyed by battle, its effect decreases the attack of the monster that attacked it by 300 (Meklord Army of Wisel: Attack 1500)!" I called. "And that also means your Astrisk lowers to 1500 attack points."

"You are shrewd. Are you that desperate to bury the dead?" Aporia asked. "Asterisk, attack Leo directly! Infinity Nemesis Stream!" I was thrown back by the blaster and left with 1100 life points.

"Leo!" Luna called.

"Are you okay?!" Jack asked.

"I set two cards face down and end my turn," Aporia called. Looking as his opponents worrying about me, the machine asked, "What's wrong? It's already over. You will not escape despair. However, if you surrender, your lives will be spared. Save yours and your friend's life." I stood up. "Surrender now, Leo, so despair will not lead him through his life."

I clenched a fist and said, "As long as I'm alive, I won't give in to despair!" I began my turn. "I use the effect of Fortissimo to special summon Morphtronic Boomboxen (Attack 1200/ Defense 400). Then I normal summon Morphtronic Lantron (Attack 200/ Defense 200)." Level Cannon activated, sending me a damage total of 1000 points, leaving me at 100 as well and causing the device on my chest to glow red. "I activate Double Ripple to special summon two synchro monsters of the same level from my and another player's extra deck to our respective sides of the field in defense mode using appropriate synchro materials from either player's side of the field."

"What're you aiming for?" Jack wondered.

I ignored Jack question and called, "I send Clock Resonator and my own Morphtronic Boomboxen to the graveyard to special summon Power Tool Dragon (Attack 2300/ Defense 2500) and Ancient Fairy Dragon (2100/ Defense 3000) to mine and Luna's side of the field!"

"Have you lost your mind? Summoning a synchro monster results in the player taking 1000 points of damage and the effect of Level Cannon inflicts 200 damage times their combined levels. And that totals 3800 points of damage. Since Luna didn't summon Ancient Fairy Dragon, she doesn't take any damage." Asterisks changed back to its vortex form and made its way towards me. "Humans will never synchro summon to escape and then it destroys them. You shall die in despair."

"You're wrong. There is only hope," Leo claimed. He looked at Ancient Fairy Dragon and told her, "Take care of Luna for me."

Luna shook her head. "No, Leo! Don't make me lose you!"

However, the vortex hit me followed by the rockets from Level Cannon, dropping the my life points to zero and causing me to fall forward. I was quick to fall into darkness.

Third Person POV

"Leo!" Jack and Luna called. Luna dropped to her knees and her life points started to gradually drop one at a time.

"Wait, she didn't take any damage, what's going on?" Jack asked shocked and worried.

"Your lives are connected to your life points. So if her pulse weakens, her life points also lower," Aporia explained, leaving Jack worrying for Luna.

"Leo!" Jack began to call. But the young boy remained motionless.

Ancient Fairy Dragon descended over Leo's body, telling him, "Your death is not supposed to have arrived yet. You are the one who is supposed to save Luna."

Morphtronic Lantron started to whir. A light flickered around a wheel and Jack remembered something, "That's right! When Lantron is in defense mode and your life points are at zero, if it stops on green, the life points will increase by 100!" The light stopped on green and Lantron switched on. It shined a light over Leo.

Jack and Luna's Marks of the Dragon lit up.

. . .

Similarly, in other parts of the Cradle, Akiza and Crow's lit up. Akiza commented, "Someone else is fighting."

"Yeah," Crow agreed. "They may needed our power to get through."

. . .

Yusei's mark was also glowing and he realized, "This is different than previous times it lit up."

. . .

All the Signer's marks disappeared from their arms and the full dragon mark appeared on Leo's back. That's when something else glowed on his right arm. The three others in the room noticed something extra being drawn on the full dragon mark in one of its hands.

"Leo's a Si-" Jack began but stopped as his mark returned to his arm and the remaining marks returned to their respective Signers.

. . .

Despite not seeing what happened, Yusei knew it. _'Leo's a Signer…'_

. . .

"The marking that formed in the dragon's hand formed on Leo's right arm, where it had been glowing. Leo slowly stood up, his life points going up to 100.

"You were able to evolve into a Signer?" Aporia questions, stunned.

Leo looked at his mark in surprise. Ancient Fairy Dragon then told him, "You are the sixth Signer, Leo."

That's when a bolt of light slammed next to Leo. They looked as it took form of a person. When the light dimmed, it was a boy about Leo's age. He had brown hair and red eyes with a golden colored t-shirt, red fingerless gloves, near black brown pants, and red and brown tennis shoes. He was just a bit taller than Leo, a couple centimeters at most really. The boy looked at Leo, a serious face.

"Leo, meet your Dragon Protector," Ancient Fairy Dragon stated shocking the boy.

"Master," he greeted.

"Uh, hi," Leo responded.

"You may call me Life, if you so choose," the Dragon Protector told the new Signer. "I am here to ensure your safety for as long as you need it and from any danger possible. The main threat from now onwards will be Aporia and the Cradle, Master. So be careful."

"Alright, Life, and you can just call me Leo," the boy responded.

"As you wish," he agreed. "Now I believe it is time you make your way to saving what is right."

Leo nodded and asked, "Do I have the same power as the others?"

"Yes," Life answered.

Ancient Fairy Dragon stated, "I want Luna to be safe forever. You must believe in her safety."

Leo looked over at Luna, whose life points had been decreasing all that time putting her at 82 now. He then vowed, "I will use my power as a Signer to save Luna!" He clasped his mark and asked quietly, "Lend my power…" Beams of light shot out of the mark and a card appeared in his hand. Leo nodded at Life who nodded back at him. "I tune my level seven Power Tool Dragon with my level one Morphtronic Lantron! The courage and power to protect the future of the planet is a revolution. Synchro summon! Evolve, Life Stream Dragon (Attack 2900/ Defense 2400)!" The Crimson Dragon appeared and shot Power Tool Dragon out of her mouth, engulfing it in fire. This caused its armor to break away, leaving in its wake Life Stream Dragon. With it on the field, Life disappeared into his dragon form. "Alright, Life, let's give it our all!"


	66. The Power of Life Stream Dragon

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 66**

 **The Power of Life Stream Dragon**

Third Person POV

"By becoming a Signer, Leo got a new dragon!" Jack realized a bit shocked.

Jack and Leo had 100 life points while Luna was on her hands and knees panting. The rate at which her life points had been dropping had increased as she went from 67 to 54 over a few seconds.

Aporia, who still had 3200 life points asked, "What good is evolution? Synchro summoning will not be forgiven! The effect of Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk activates, inflicting 1000 points of damage when a player synchro summons a monster." Asterisk released a gigantic electrical vortex towards Leo.

However, the boy called, "Thanks to Life Stream Dragon's effect, I can negate all effect damage!" Life Stream Dragon opened its wings and released a wave that nullified the vortex aimed at him.

Aporia was visibly shocked. "You were able to avoid the game end damage that would have been dealt to you via the effect of Asterisk…"

Luna's life points dropped from 50 to 43 and her twin told her, "I'm about to save you." Leo then announced, "By using another of Life's effects, I can raise the life points of all players with less than 2000 life points _to_ 2000!" Him and Jack each went from 100 to 2000 while Luna's life points stopped decreasing and went up until she, too, had 2000.

Luna's condition improves and she saw her life points going up. "What's going on?" she wondered before she saw Life Stream Dragon on the field. "That's the dragon from my dream!" She then spotted the Mark of the Dragon on my arm.

"I tried my hardest and became a Signer. Big surprise, huh?" Leo told her.

Luna shook her head. "It doesn't surprise me, as I always knew you would protect me," she replied, staring at me deeply and with a small smile. "You always think about me before yourself. That will never change because you're my here."

Leo wiped away his tears and said, "I wouldn't consider myself a hero."

"Stop!" Aporia yelled. "Just because you have 2000 life points, you still don't have a hope of staying alive!"

"You don't get it," Jack retorted. "You might be able to lure Leo with despair; but using that despair, Leo created hope and hope will always overpower despair." Jack, Leo, and Luna's marks all lit up and the eldest Signer continued, "Leo evolving into a Signer is proof of their hope."

Angry, Aporia insisted, "There is no such thing."

"Grab a hold of hope and never release it. Life Stream Dragon, attack Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk! Life's Beauty Howl!" Leo ordered.

"I activate the effect of Asterisk! By sending Meklord Army of Skiel to the graveyard, I can prevent Asterisk from being destroyed by battle," Aporia defended.

"But you still take damage," Leo reminded.

Aporia took the attack and his life points fell to 1800. But unlike last time, he cried out in pain as he took the damage. And it made Jack smile a bit.

"Has the pain in your heart returned?" the elder Signer asked.

"I already cast off my heart and stopped being human," Aporia claimed. "The pain in my heart is caused by despair. Now since a synchro monster attacked, I can activate my face down: the Continuous trap card, Cursed Synchro! This prevents synchro monsters from attacking any further. Synchro monsters were made by accident and I can now feel more despair than ever!"

"I set a card face down and end my turn," Leo finished.

"Foolish child! Setting a card will cause the effect of Lock-One Laser to inflict 200 points of damage at you," Aporia called. His card moved and pointed at the young male Signer.

"Not quite! Remember, Life Stream Dragon negates all effect damage and prevents that from happening," Leo reminded his opponent. Life Stream Dragon opened its wings and sent a wave again that prevents Aporia's card from inflicted the damage to him.

Luna began her turn and looked at her card. She looked as Kuribon appeared next to her and she said, "Thanks, Kuribon. I'm alright now." She turned to the duel. "I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect that destroys a field spell card. So Ancient Fairy Dragon, use Plain Back and destroy Fortissimo the Mobile Fortress!" The surrounded started to collapse and the cables connected it to Aporia snapped. "And this effect also gives me 1000 life points and allows me to add a field spell card from my from to my hand." Her life points went up to 3000 and she added Synchro Monument to her hand. With Aporia's old field still collapsing, Luna continued, "I activate Synchro Monument! With this in play, whenever a player summons a tuner or synchro monster, their opponent can't activate any cards."

"Nice, Luna! You made it safe for us to use synchro monsters!" Leo called.

Aporia, covering his head from the falling debris, called, "Stop synchro summoning! You don't understand the despair I feel!"

"You still don't get it," Jack retorted and began his turn. "I activate my face down, Descending Lost Star! This special summons Red Dragon Archfiend from my graveyard in defense mode with its effects negated and its level reduced from eight to seven. Then I activate Red Dragon Vase, which lets me draw two cards when I control Red Dragon Archfiend. And now I activate Scarlet Security! This destroys all your face up spell and trap cards when I control Red Dragon Archfiend!"

As his cards blew up, Aporia yelled in agony, "Stop!" He paused, as if seeing something he didn't want to see before calling desperately, "Stop what you are doing! Please!"

Jack ignored him and called, "I activate Call Resonator, adding Creation Resonator (Attack 800/ Defense 600) to my hand. Since there is a synchro monster on my side of the field, I am able to special summon it from my hand. Next I normal summon Dread Dragon (Attack 1100/ Defense 400). Now I double tune my level seven Red Dragon Archfiend with my level two Dread Dragon and level three Creation Resonator! The king and the devil, here and now, shall become as one. A Raging Spirit! Life up the very cries of creation itself! Synchro summon! Come forth, Red Nova Dragon (Attack 3500/ Defense 3000)!" His dragon came to the field with a roar. He felt a hand set on his shoulder but when he turned he saw nothing. _'Was that Arch? Is he… alive?'_ Jack thought a bit shocked. He shook his head and returned to the duel. "Now Red Nova Dragon gains 500 attack for every tuner monster in my graveyard. And since I have four, its attack becomes 5500!" Red Nova Dragon's eyes flashed in power and Jack saw something in there he only hoped of seeing again. He swear he saw Arch's eyes in his dragon when his dragon took a glance at him. He turned back to the duel. "Red Nova Dragon, attack Aporia's Asterisk!"

"I refuse to feel despair! I activate my face down card, Chaos Infinity! This switches all defense mode monsters to attack mode and special summons two Meklord monsters from my graveyard and from my deck with their effects negated," Aporia fought. "And I choose to summon Meklord Army of Skiel (Attack 1200/ Defense 1000) and Meklord Astro Mekanikle (Attack 4000/ Defense 4000)! And since there are now more Meklord monsters in attack mode the attack of my Asterisk increases (Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk: Attack 8300). I shall no longer suffer despair! You will now be the ones to do so! This attack will overwhelm you. Perish in never-ending despair, learn of your uselessness, and Z-One change the future!"

"I'm not giving into despair," Leo refused. "I activate my trap card, Synchro Big Tornado! This reduces the attack of Asterisk by the defense of Life Stream Dragon (Meklord Astro Dragon Asterisk: Attack 5900)."

"2400 less isn't enough. Asterisk will still have more attack than Red Nova Dragon," Aporia stated.

"I activate my counter trap, Fairy Breath! This lets me give 3000 defense to a monster when I control Ancient Fairy Dragon," Luna called. "And that defense is going to Life Stream Dragon (Life Stream Dragon: Defense 5400)!"

"And that lowers your monsters attack to 2900," Leo calculated for Aporia. Each of the twins' monsters fired blasts at Asterisk, lowering its attack as said.

Aporia, clutching his chest, asked, "Why won't humans stop hurting my heart? Is it because I feel despair?"

"You don't feel despair, you feel hope," Jack corrected.

"What are you talking about?" Aporia asked.

"Just as Leo was fighting for Luna's safety, you're fighting for Z-One; And by thinking of Z-One, you felt hope," Jack explained. "My friends and I have hope in Yusei and that's why we won't feel despair." Red Nova Dragon continued its attack and used Burning Soul to incinerate Asterisk and drop Aporia's life points to zero.

Fortissimo continued to collapse and the cuffs and clamps were released from Jack, Leo, and Luna's legs and chests. Life came to Leo's side again. Jack got the twins to hurry back with him to his runner. He got on it and the twins mounted their duel boards and grabbed on, while Life took to the air. Together, they ramped across the room to get passed Aporia to the Planetary Gear, which stopped spinning. Life being sure to protect the three Signers from any of the falling debris.

Jack looked back as he watched Aporia fall. As the Guardian of Despair dropped, Aporia realized something, _'My pair isn't despair, but it's a tingling which is hope…'_


	67. Protection at its Finest

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 67**

 **Protection at its Finest**

Yusei's POV

Inside the Ark Cradle, Vizor, Jayla, and I continued along our path. Nearly silent, I wondered, "Just where does this path lead?"

"Not really sure," Jayla answered shocking me that she could hear me. "When I'm right behind you and I do have good hearing, it isn't that hard to hear you."

"True," I agreed. I didn't like Jayla being here. That put her in a lot of danger. I then began to think about Leo now being a Signer. By what all of us thought, there were only five Signers. But I then remembered something.

 **-Flashback-**

It was during Leo's duel against Demak.

Jayla grinned as she looked at Power Tool Dragon. It looked at her for a brief moment and nodded before returning to the battle. She then seemed to realize something.

"Jayla, why did Power Tool Dragon just nod at you?" Trudge asked her.

"That dragon is the reincarnation of a dear friend of mine who was lost at the battle against the Earthbound Immortals five thousand years ago," she explained and both Trudge and I gave a shocked look.

"Does that mean Leo's the fifth Signer?" I asked looking at the boy.

"I do not sense that in him completely. I don't think he's chosen yet. But I have a feeling one day, he may see his destiny and that's when his mark will show," she replied. "So I don't think he's the fifth Signer. Because there were six Signer originally chose, though one was lost long ago."

 **-Flashback Ended-**

"Jayla, did you know all this time that Leo was the sixth Signer?" I asked.

"Ever since I saw he had the reincarnation of Life Stream Dragon," she answered.

"Does that mean he has his own Dragon Protector now?" I prodded.

"He does," Jayla answered calmly. "He's probably at Leo's side right now."

"And that'll hopefully keep him and the others safe," I commented. I then looked down. "Jayla, are the other Dragon Protectors really dead?" She gave me a confused look at the sudden question. "During the end of the World Racing Grand Prix, Jack and the rest of them… We were protected by your and the other Dragon Protector's energy. If they're dead, how is that possible?"

"Yusei, Dragon Protectors don't die like humans. If I were truly - or rather completely- dead when I passed," she began and I forced myself not to wince at the memory, "I wouldn't have been able to give you my scale." I grabbed it gently where it sat underneath my shirt. "It is the same for the others in a way. We don't really die until you do. If we die like we do before you do, we become kind of trapped between the mortal world and the life that waits for us once we officially die."

"Wait, so Arch and the others are trapped between the two worlds?" I asked.

"More like two dimensions: The dimension of which the living inhabit and the dimension of which the dead inhabit. And their sole goal throughout that entire time of being trapped is being sure you stay safe. But our powers are extremely limited in this time frame. Simple things like creating a protective dome of energy like in the WRGP, we can do. Dropping things off in the mortal world like with my scale, we may require some assistance from the Crimson Dragon. While other things are impossible for us to do."

"Why didn't you tell us this?" I asked a bit tense and somewhat ticked she hid something like that.

"Too many things were going on. I couldn't find the right time to tell all of you it. I knew it would hurt the others to know their protectors were trapped between dimensions until their officially died," Jayla explained sadly.

I looked down a bit, knowing she was right. "It just would've been good to know, Jayla," I told her. "We'll tell them once this is all over, alright?" She gave a small nod. "Jayla, when you died to the Immortals' poison, were you… also trapped?" She gave a small nod, reluctance to answer clear.

That hurt me even more to know that. It made my guilt of failing to keep her alive even worse. If the Crimson Dragon hadn't stepped in, she would've been trapped for so many years to come. If I didn't die here that is. But I wasn't going to die here. And neither was Jayla.

"Jayla, how are your memories?" I checked.

"Ever since they got control of me before the semi-finals when Primo took out the stone, it stopped. But… I lost so many, Yusei," she replied seeming sad. "I remember small bits and pieces from my childhood. But there are so few, it's like they're just figments of dreams I've had."

"When does the memory loss stop?" I asked.

"Everything is clear after meeting Ancient," she answered. "Everything before that is a almost a complete blank slate."

"As long as you're not losing anymore, we can find a way of returning those lost ones to you eventually," I told her.

"We…" I heard her whisper. But it was so quiet, I wasn't certain I actually heard it.

"Jayla?" I called concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied. "It's nothing."

This was not the time to push. I knew we were both a bit worried after Sherry's words. I knew Jayla was worried about it more than me. Just as much as she was my anchor, I was hers.

My only comfort to my death is that if I did die here, it wouldn't be at Jayla's hands. That would at least spare her the pain of feeling she was the cause of my death.

But my biggest worry was what she would feel if I did die here. After all, I still felt that pain after Jayla died. And that technically wasn't my fault, it the the Immortals' and their poison that killed her. But the pain that I lost her when I promised she'd be alright still hurt me every time I was reminded of it.

I gently grabbed her hands that were locked around my waist. _'She's with me now, though. I won't ever let her go through any pain like that. And the only way to ensure that is if I live. So I'm not going to die today, especially for Jayla,'_ I thought. _'And I don't know what'll actually happen to Jayla if I died. When she was a complete Dragon Protector, she said that if I died due to the darkness of the Dark Signers, she would die and the lineage of the Signers and Dragon Protectors would be lost forever. I'm not sure if that goes for this darkness as well. Added to that, she said when I died of natural causes, she would disappear and flash out of existence. If I died here, what would happen to her?'_

I shook my head the slightest bit to get my thoughts away from that. I didn't want to think about that at the moment. And I didn't want to bother Jayla if she caught onto my thoughts. I moved my runner up next to Vizor and asked, trying to divert my mind away to something else, "Why are you helping us?" Vizor didn't say anything and that made me a bit suspicious. "How are you so familiar with the mechanics of this place after only making a few scans?"

"I don't know," Vizor answered. "That is why I'm here. I feel the answer lies just ahead of us."

"Do you mean the Planetary Gear?" I asked. "What happens with the duelists the others fought at the other gears?"

"By defeating them, we can reach the center gear," Vizor replied.

"I understand," I responded. I could Jayla was a bit uncertain of Vizor. There was something both off and familiar about this duelist with us. I couldn't tell what, but I needed to figure it out soon.

That's when we each reached the end of our path and stopped at the planetary gear. Jayla and I got off my runner while Vizor got off his and we looked at the gear. I then noticed something off.

"So where's the opponent we're supposed to face?" I asked. That's when four glowing orbs on the Ener-D appeared and started to move towards Vizor. "Vizor, those are dangerous. You need to get away."

Vizor, however, just stayed still and the Ener-D from the orbs spread around and engulfed him, blinding me and Jayla. It wasn't long, though, before he was thrown out of the Ener-D. I ran over to help him when he started to stand up.

"I remember everything now," Vizor commented. "I was sent on a mission."

"And what is that?" I asked.

"Yusei, back away now," Jayla told me sternly.

"The opponent you will face…" he took off his visor and finished, "is me."

"Bruno?" Yusei questioned.

"My name is Antinomy and I am the one who shall protect the Planetary Gear and the Ark Cradle," the man explained to me and Jayla. Jayla pulled me back a bit, her arm in front of me protectively, glaring at this man like she was back into her full Dragon Protector self again.

"Don't joke around," I told him, ignoring Jayla for a moment. "You're our friend, Bruno."

"You're wrong, Yusei," the man before us argued calmly. "I am Z-One's friend, Antinomy. I will not let you pass, so we must duel. You always believed in the power of your friends, but now the Ark Cradle calls you to use your own power. The Ark Cradle will extinguish New Domino City."

I looked at Antinomy, almost in horror as I realized my friends and I had been tricked. "You were our friend. But now you were hiding your face and lending us power all in order to trick you?" I accused a bit angry now.

"The results sound like that. In order for you and your friends to trust me, I had my memory wiped by Z-One. Protecting and saving you was part of my mission and the only thing left in my memory," Antinomy replied. "You have fought well and that power has triggered the Ark Cradle. Now all that's left is for New Domino to be destroyed. Then the future will be changed.

"Why are you doing this, Bruno?" I demanded.

. . .

Crow, Akiza, and Sherry made their way to the duel. However, Akiza felt her Mark of the Dragon throbbing and thought, _'Something feels weird…'_

. . .

"Should you fail to defeat me, the Planetary Gear will not stop moving and you won't be able to reach the center gear," Antinomy explained. "So the only path you can walk is one where you fight me. Should you win, New Domino will be saved, but my mission disapproves of that."

"Why do we have to fight?" I asked.

"Betraying a friend like you is the mission given to me by Z-One," my former friend answered.

"There has to be another way, Bruno," Yusei retorted.

Antinomy got a bit mad and repeated, "My name is Antinomy. Now are you going to fight or not?"

"I'll fight you," Jayla stated, shocking both of us.

"Okay, Jayla, that's not going to happen," I denied.

"You don't even have your duel runner," Antinomy added. "And this will be a turbo duel."

Jayla focused a bit and she glowed before her duel runner zipped next to us. "You're not the only one who can call your duel runner to you wherever you wish."

"Jayla, I am not arguing in this. You need to stay back where it's safe," I pressed.

"You've protected me enough, Yusei. Let me protect you for once," she retorted confidently. "What do you say, _Antinomy_? You willing for a duel against _me_?"

"It was originally meant for against Yusei. But you weren't in the equation back when this was planned. I have no issue dueling against you instead of Yusei," he agreed. "And the same rules will apply as if you were Yusei dueling."

"Jayla, stop this now," I tried again as she and Antinomy got on their runners.

"You have people you have to protect other than me, Yusei. I came here to stop this with you and stop you from dying," she told me. "Until you have to duel for a certain reason, I'm keeping the promise I made to the others and making sure you stay alive. Even if it means my life." She turned to Antinomy. "I came here to stop this and protect Yusei, defeating whoever stepped in front of my way."

Antinomy put his visor back on. "That's good, but I won't lose with Z-One on my side."

"Jayla!" I called in warning as they engaged the turbo duel and took off. I immediately went to catch up to them. The setting suddenly changed to outer space with the three of us darting along a white path. I stayed behind a bit, though. _'If I can't duel for her, fine. But I am stepping in if it seems things are going to turn for the worse. I don't care what Jayla says on the matter. She may want to protect me, but I'm protecting her. She died because of her protection of me before. She should never have to protect me again for any reason after that. I promise, Jayla, nothing will happen to you again.'_

"This shall be the final stage before Yusei's death," Antinomy stated. We looked to the side where we saw a star. "The loser of this duel will be sucked in there." That worried me while Jayla seemed calm. "Are you ready, Jayla? Because you will wish you would have let Yusei duel for you."

"I'm ready and the loser here will be you," Jayla answered.

 **Hey! Weren't expecting Jayla to duel for Yusei, now were you? Yep, well, it'll be Jayla against Antinomy next chapter! Get ready because it'll be one hell of a duel (writing included...)**

 **-bricann**


	68. Surpassing Limits- Part 1

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 68**

 **Surpassing Limits- Part 1**

Jayla's POV

"This is a very fitting scene for facing you and Yusei," Antinomy commented. "This is a Death Course. The two of us are racing near a star. As I said, the loser will be sucked into it upon losing and neither of us will be able to leave until that happens." We raced along the track for a while, dodging flames that leapt by them. "The loser shall be swallowed by the flames and the only means to escape is to win the duel."

I subtly noticed Yusei following us. I knew he was concerned and I was kind of expecting he wouldn't stay behind. _'But so help me, if he tries to get into this duel…'_ I trailed off my thoughts. _'He protected me more than enough. Even when I hurt him, he continued to protect me. Because he loves me. And I love him, so I should protect him just as much.'_

Antinomy went first and called, "I summon Tech Genus Catapult Dragon (Attack 900/ Defense 1300)! Then I activate its effect, letting me summon a level three or lower tuner monster from my hand once per turn. So I summon Tech Genus Jet Falcon (Attack 1400/ Defense 1200). Now I tune my level two Catapult Dragon to my level three Jet Falcon!" he declared. "Limiter removal, Level 5. Regulator open. Thruster warm-up okay. Up link, all clear. Go! Synchro summon! Come on, Tech Genus Hyper Librarian (Attack 2400/ Defense 1800)!" His monster arrived on the field, but I didn't give any emotion to the monster now on the field. "Since Jet Falcon was used as a Synchro Material, you take 500 points of damage!" My life points fell to 3500. Waves of flames splashed over the track and I barely managed to avoid being hit. "If something this small enough to throw you off, then you will be swallowed by the flames before we finish the duel." I noticed Yusei tense and get ready to drive closer, but I gave him a warning face and shook my head to tell him not to. He backed away in his preparation a bit, but was obviously on edge completely. "I set two cards face down and end my turn."

My turn began but I was a bit hesitant. Antinomy was still Bruno deep down, still mine and Yusei's friend. But it was like when he got those memories back, the Bruno we knew was shoved to the farthest corners of Antinomy's mind where no light could reach. If Bruno or Antinomy or whatever he wanted to call himself died here, I didn't want to know what Yusei would feel… or even me, for that matter. But if it saved Yusei even for a bit longer, I had no choice.

"Why are you hesitating, Jayla?" Antinomy asked. "Didn't you say you were going to defeat any enemy standing in your way, regardless of who they are?"

"The same may not apply if they are my friend," I answered.

"If you don't defeat me, you won't be able to advance any further than this and won't be able to save your friends," Antinomy reminded. I rode up beside Antinomy. "You are incapable of leaving your feelings of a former friend out of it. That is both your greatest strength and weakness." He then slammed his runner against mine and I heard Yusei call my name while Antinomy demanded, "Show me your dueling!"

I drew my card. "I activate my continuous spell, Dragon of the Sun's Gift! I can only activate this card when I have zero cards in my graveyard. And this card allows me to special summon one synchro monster, ignoring summoning, conditions and giving this card two counters. Every time my synchro monster attacks, it loses one counter. But if my opponent activates a trap card during the battle phase my monster attacked, it gains a counter. So I summon my dragon that lights the way for all with its guiding light, Luminescence Dragon (Attack 2900/ Defense 2000)!" A light shot down and blinded everyone but me, including my opponent. When it dimmed, everyone watched as it took shape of an European styled dragon. With a small flash of light, the light around it shattered with the light falling off like a little flecks of dust. It revealed a glowing dragon with a shimmering white scale body. It had a flowing mane and tail tip of light. Even Antinomy seemed in awe of this dragon. "And I'm not through with my turn, yet. I activate the continuous spell Negate Gamble! This can only be activated when I have zero cards in my graveyard. If either of us activates a monster's effect or a trap card, an effect will take place. If it's a monster's effect, the effect is negated and we both draw a card. If a trap card is activate, its effect is negated and we both discard a card from our hands and one card from the top of each of our decks. But considering the trap was still activated, if it is activated in the battle phase Luminescence attacked, Dragon of the Sun's Gift will still gain counters allowing my dragon to attack. With that in play, Luminescence Dragon attack Tech Genus Hyper Librarian!"

The attack was sent, but Antinomy called, "I activate my face down, Sonic Stun! This negates the attack and lets me special summon a level four or lower tuner monster from my hand!"

"Well, Negate Gamble's effect activates. This negates your traps effect and we each have to send one card from our hand and one card from the top of our deck to the graveyard," I fought.

"Well then, I activate my other face down, Fake Trap!" Antinomy called shocking me. "When you use a spell, trap, or monster effect that destroyed one or more traps on my side of the field, this card gets destroyed instead and the others are left fine."

"Well, we still have to send the cards to our graveyard," I commented as my monster was reflected and he summoned Tech Genus Cyber Magician per the last effect of Sonic Stun, and we sent the cards away. "And my Dragon of the Sun's Gift also gains another two counters since you activated two trap cards during the battle phase. With that done, I set two face downs and end my turn."

"It's good to see you're not holding back now," Antinomy stated. "But you're scared, aren't you? You have no hope of keeping up in this duel in that state."

"The only person who is scared is you. And if you think I'm scared, you should rethink everything you've known about me when we were friends. Because if you truly know me, you know I'm a completely different person when I duel," Jayla retorted defiantly.

Antinomy glared and began his turn. "I summon Tech Genus Rush Rhino (Attack 1600/ Defense 800)," he called. "Now I tune my level four Rush Rhino with my level one Cyber Magician. Limited removal, level 5. Booster launch, okay. Inclination, okay. Ground support, all clear. Go! Synchro Summon! Come on, Tech Genus Wonder Magician (Attack 1900/ Defense 0)!" He then drew a card than to Hyper Librarian's effect.

Jayla noticed an oncoming wave of fire and called at about the exact same time as Yusei, "Antinomy, watch out for that wave!" However, their former friend just rode straight through it.

"Watch closely, Jayla, as I perform a true 'clear mind'," Antinomy told me.

"Jayla, let me in this duel now!" Yusei called.

"Yusei, stay there," I denied.

"Jayla…" Yusei called, warning in his voice as Antinomy began his accel synchro.

"I tune my level five Wonder Magician with my level five Hyper Librarian," he called as he began to speed off. "Limiter removal, level 10. Main bass booster control, all clear. Infinite power, unleashed here and now, break through this very dimension and beyond. Go! Accel Synchro! Come on, Tech Genus Blade Blaster (Attack 3300/ Defense 2200)!"

"Antinomy, why did you teach me how to Accel Synchro summon?" Yusei asked.

"Had I not, you and Team 5Ds would not have been able to win the World Racing Grand Prix and it was that power, which helped us bring out the Ark Cradle in your battle with Aporia," he explained. "Blade Blaster, attack Luminescence Dragon! Shoot Blade!"

"I activate Luminescence Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can negate any battle damage sent at me!" I called. However, my dragon was still destroyed allowing him to summon a Metal Skeleton (Attack 1100/ Defense 0) by his card's effect. I was quick to call, though, "I activate my face down, Dragon's Prayer Shrine! With this card I'm going to call upon my dragon's prayers. By sending one card on my field to the graveyard, like my Dragon of the Sun's Gift, I can revive Luminescence Dragon in attack mode." My dragon returned to the field making Antinomy curse slightly.

"I set a card and end my turn," Antinomy finished.

"Jayla, let me duel! You don't have an accel synchro that would help you get the upperhand you need for this duel," Yusei tried again.

"Can it, Yusei!" I retorted, shocking him at my change of character. "I'm winning this alone. Just trust me, he won't be able to beat me."

"Your heart is in disarray, Yusei," Antinomy told my boyfriend. "In your current condition, you have no hope of defeating Z-One, let alone defeating me."

"Just who is Z-One?" he asked.

"He is someone who will change the future of ruin," Antinomy replied. He sighed and prepared to tell us how he met Z-One. "I was a pro turbo duelist at the time. My hope was derived from the dreams I had of showing people all over the world the magnificence of dueling and he had never doubted his beliefs. At one point, I won a turbo duel tournament and held up the trophy in front of a cheering audience. But afterwards, my manager told me I can't synchro summon, as it had been outlawed. He said we were in an unstable situation, where anything could happen and I couldn't just selfishly go about synchro summoning as I pleased. But to me, this was all the more reason, as we should've been aiming to find the correct way to use synchro monsters. I pointed out that in the past the legendary duel, Yusei Fudo, used synchro and countless people got hope from you. But then a crew rushed over to us to inform us that a main network was going berserk as a result of Ener-D interaction with Synchro Summoning. My manager realized that if that was true, something bad was about to happen. And then the Meklord Emperors appeared in the sky and invaded us, bringing about destruction. Later, I walked along the streets of the now destroyed city, with no other survivors in sight. I had wondered if synchro summoning caused this to happen and I dropped to my knees where I found a synchro monster known as Scrap Dragon. That's when a Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity appeared before me and started scanning me. It then pointed a cannon at my face. I closed my eyes, ready to accept my fate. However, the Meklord Emperor was shot by a blast and fell to the ground. After the smoke cleared, I looked up to an above platform and saw what looked like Yusei in his duel runner, with a cannon attached to it. I told myself it couldn't be. But Yusei ramped down and got out of his vehicle. He walked towards me and shook my hand. The person, who saved me, was Z-One. I was lost in despair and saw Z-One fighting with hope. I was ashamed of myself. Much later, the only four survivors, Z-One, Paradox, Aporia, and I, devoted ourselves to performing experiments in the hopes of saving the world from destruction. The experiments took up a lot of our time and our lives reached an end. As I lied on my deathbed, Aporia and Z-One, who was now in his machine form, watched over me. Z-One told me in order to save the world, they would need my strength. I said I had no doubt that the day will come when the world will be saved. To ensure it, I asked that I be put to work as Z-One's servant. Soon afterwards, all of Z-One's friends died and just like the others, Z-One resurrected me as his servant to change the future."

"Is Z-One-?" Yusei begin but Antinomy interrupted him.

"It is correct, Z-One was the lone survivor of mankind," he stated.

"That can't be," Yusei responded.

"Aporia was split into three embodiments of despair and was resurrected as three separate personalities, as the controllers of Yliaster. I was given the mission to protect you and aid in your growth. I didn't think you would progress this far and I didn't think I, myself, would be the one to crush you. Or now the one you love. Which is enough to crush even the strongest of wills like yours."

Yusei glared warningly. "Do you consider us to be no more than a gear in your plans?"

"The Ark Cradle has surfaced and New Domino City is as good as confirmed, so the creation of a new future is all but assured," Antinomy replied. "However, the completion of that plan allows no room for you to advance further. And we both know once I take Jayla down, you won't even be able to fight enough to stop me after her."

"Don't talk like that!" Yusei demanded. "It wasn't just me and Jayla you deceived, but everyone in Team 5Ds. Do you honestly see hope in this future you're trying to create by sacrificing this world? Answer me!"

"Similar to how Team 5Ds are connected by a strong bond, Z-One, my friends, and I have formed a strong bond within the pit of despair and my very mission is my pledge to Z-One," Antinomy replied.

"Is that what you really want to do, Bruno?" Yusei asked.

"My name is Antinomy!" he retorted.

"I'm going to defeat you for the sake of the future and my friends, Antinomy," I told him. I drew my card. "I summon my tuner monster Soul- Dragon of the Spirits (Attack 1400/ Defense 1000) in attack mode." I gave a grin at Yusei who seemed confused. "I think it's time I revealed something. To both of you." They both raised an eyebrow, uncertain as to what I was planning.

That's when Yusei seemed to realize it. I closed my eyes for a moment before snapping them open and focused as I began to move faster than what seemed possible. "I tune my level seven Luminescence Dragon with my level three Soul- Dragon of the Spirits!" I then chanted as I continued to speed further. "Along the wings of a dragon carries the burden of the soul that rides it. Only by sharing the weight by two or more can the burden by lifted. Accel Synchro!" I vanished from their view for a moment, but when I returned, I was ahead of Antinomy by far and a new dragon soared above me. The dragon was a black dominant body, but in the body was a space like design with thousands of almost wavering stars. It was serpentine like with giant, white glowing wings that helped it fly and it had a head that started wide at the top with two spikes before narrowing down at the snout, almost like an arrowhead. It had glowing white eyes and a white, fire like light trailed down from the crook of the two tips of its head down to just began the tail tip. "Shine your light, Night Dragon (Attack 3400/ Defense 3000)!"

"Jayla, since when can you accel synchro?" Yusei asked shocked.

"Hey, I do get away from you a few times," I responded. He gave me an annoyed look. "But do you even remember when I told you that Ancient and I were getting some knowledge and I first mentioned the clear mind idea to you?" He went wide eyed in realization. "Yeah, well, let's just say I had a bit of fun with Ancient to check our theory and I mastered Accel Synchro. Did you ever question as to why I was so certain a clear mind would work back then?"

"I assumed it was like you said before: an educated guess," he answered with an annoyed expression.

"Now it seems you have gotten serious," Antinomy cut in. "If you were as much before."

"I'll fight you passed my limits," Jayla vowed. "Night Dragon, attack Metal Skeleton!" The attack destroyed Antinomy's monster and dropped his life points to 1700. "I end my turn with one face."

"While you may have surpassed your own limits, you have only began to barely scratch the surface of the current situation, because as you regret the limitations you believe yourself to have surpassed are not your true limitations," Antinomy told me.

"I know it's not. But you're pointing out to something different, aren't you?" I responded.

"Accel Synchro summoned are meant as nothing more than an exhibit; A mere display of what lies beyond it," Antinomy replied. "I shall show you. This is what lies far ahead and beyond of the surreal world yours!" He drew his card to begin his turn. He held up Tech Genus Gear Zombie. "I reduce the attack of a machine type monster I control to special summon this from my hand (Tech Genus Blade Blaster: Attack 2300)." Gear Zombie came to the field. "Next I normal summon Tech Genus Drill Fish (Attack 100/ Defense 800). Now I tune level one Drill Fish with level one Gear Zombie! Limiter removal, level two. Regulator, open. Navigation, all clear. Go! Synchro Summon! Come on, Tech Genus Recipro Dragonfly (Attack 300/ Defense 300)! Now the effect of Recipro Dragonfly allows me to return a synchro monster to the extra deck and revive the synchro material monsters used to summon it. So I send Blade Blaster to the extra deck and bring back Wonder Magician and Hyper Librarian!"

"You returned your accel synchro monster to your extra deck?" Yusei questioned surprised. I was a bit surprised, too, but I knew he had a dangerous move coming from that play, and prepared myself.

"This is the answer to what lies beyond Accel Synchro summoning," Antinomy replied. He sped up getting faster and faster.

"What're you about to do?" I asked.

"The state of supremacy beyond the limits of your own being, Top Clear Mind!" He entered a digital tunnel and told us, "Watch carefully." He then continued, "I tune level two Recipro Dragonfly and level five Hyper Librarian to my level five Wonder Magician! Limiter removal, level max. Regulator, open. All clear! Infinite power. Piercing through time and space, open to a world unknown. Go! Delta Accel!" That caused the star they were riding next to to condense and explode, turning it into a black hole. Antinomy finished his chant, "Come on, Tech Genus Halberd Cannon (Attack 4000/ Defense 4000)!"

Yusei observed the current state of the star and asked quietly, "What is…?"

Antinomy then asked us, "Did you just see that, Yusei, Jayla? A synchro summon using three synchro monsters. This is synchro surpassing Accel Synchro. It is called Delta Accel Synchro.


	69. Surpassing Limits- Part 2

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 69**

 **Surpassing Limits- Part 2**

Jayla's POV

Antinomy had just performed a Delta Accel Synchro summon. He then said, "A black hole has been born." Both Yusei and I look back and saw the track we were racing along was disappearing. "The black hole consumes everything in its presence and the end of everything lies within it, similar to how your world shall be destroyed." He turned to the duel. "Tech Genus Halberd Cannon, attack Night Dragon!" Antinomy ordered.

"I activate my face down, Dragon of the Heavens!" I called. "With this card, your monster's attack is negated and she can't be destroyed by battle for three of my turns, but Night Dragon loses eight hundred attack until the end phase of my third turn from now (Night Dragon: Attack 2600). And our hands and decks are also lowered again, thanks to Negate Gamble." We

"I activate Double Assault!" Antinomy called. "When a synchro monster I control has its attack negated, the difference between the attack target's current attack is dealt to you as damage and doubled." Negate Gamble also lowered our hands and decks again.

"Jayla!" Yusei called in worry as the attack hit me. When the smoke cleared, I was relatively fine, save the pain in my heart, but my life points weren't as they fell to a mere 300. "Jayla, are you alright?!"

"I'm fine, Yusei," I assured, keeping my voice level and calm. "Don't worry about me." However, he still seemed to notice the pain I was hiding as he still seemed tense.

"Even your Night Dragon cannot stand up to a Delta Accel Synchro monster like Halberd Cannon, Jayla," Antinomy noted. "You only have 300 life points. Does this power go beyond your limits?" He ended his turn with two face downs.

"Antinomy, stop this," Yusei ordered. "It's me you should be fighting, not Jayla. Let me take her place now!"

"She took this duel, Yusei. Even knowing the dangers, she took it and there is no turning back for her now," my opponent responded calmly. "You know that well."

That's when I noticed my white, six-pointed star mark light up on my arm. But I ignored it for the time being. I turned to the duel, taking the two men's attention away from each other. "I summon Elenon- Dragon of Golden Fire (Attack 1900/ Defense 2000) in defense mode," I declared.

"That is useless. Thanks to the effect of Halberd Cannon, it can negate the summon of monsters and destroy them. I can use this effect once for every synchro material monster used to summon Halberd Cannon. Now, go, Close Summon!" Antinomy ordered and Elenon was destroyed.

' _Antinomy's monster really is power. If I summon more monsters, they will only be destroyed,'_ I thought.

"You can always switch Night Dragon to defense mode. But what good could that possible do? What will you do, Jayla?" Antinomy asked.

"I set two face downs and end my turn," I finish. I kept a stoic, emotionless face as Antinomy seemed to study the field and me, looking for my plan.

Eventually, Antinomy began his turn and called, "I wouldn't let such a cheap trick. I activate my face down, Magnetic Storm! With this, I can destroy a spell or trap card my opponent controls and you cannot activate anything in response." My most recent face down revealed to be my A Dragon's Final Wish, which would simply allow me to draw a card when a dragon type monster was destroyed. "So it was just a bluff."

"And thanks to that move, we both lose our hands," I reminded and more cards from our deck. We sent them away.

"Are you forgetting, Antinomy? I still have two face downs," I reminded him, keeping my emotionless face.

"That are probably also a bluff since you haven't used them since you placed them," Antinomy responded cooly. "Halberd Cannon, attack Night Dragon!"

"I activate my face down, Dragon Star's Warning Gaze!" I called and a light was revealed in the black hole. "This card negates your attack that targets a light attributed dragon type monster and destroys the attacking monster."

"I activate Trap Jammer! When you activate a trap during the battle phase, I can negate the trap and destroy it," Antinomy fought.

"I activate Dragon's Might and Protection!" I called. "The reduces the battle damage I would've taken by 100 times the level of the attacking monster. The attack when through and my life points were spared thanks to my last card on the field. And thanks to my Dragon of the Heavens card, my Night Dragon wasn't destroyed.

' _Antinomy is strong. This is the power of his Delta Accel Synchro monster. What can I do in a situation like this?'_ I thought.

The three of us entered a meteor shower and we looked back as the meteors we passed got stuck into the black hole, starting to compress. Seeing this, Antinomy stated, "It seems the conclusion has been reached. The loser will be swallowed into the pit of darkness. I end my turn."

"Is this how I die in the future Sherry was talking about?" Yusei wondered quietly.

"Yusei, have you realized you cannot change the future?" Antinomy asked him.

"I haven't. I'm destined to come here and change the future," he answered. "And so is Jayla." His Mark of the Dragon lit up as did my mark brighten.

"I'm going to defeat you, Antinomy," I vowed. _'Even if it ends in my own death,'_ I added in my head. I turned back to the duel and drew my card, calling, "I'm not giving in." I looked at my hand. "I activate the spell A Dragon's Shooting Stars," I declared. "When I have Night Dragon on the field, I can draw two cards." I drew my cards. "Then I activate another A Dragon's Shooting Stars. This lets me add another two cards." I drew them. "Now I activate the continuous spell card, Lord of the Dragon's Peace! Now no monsters can be destroyed through battle or card effect. However, all attack position monsters must attack."

"Even so, your Night Dragon still has lower attack to Halberd Cannon. If it attacks, you'll just be finishing yourself off," Antinomy commented.

"I activate my equip spell, Dragon's Heart!" I called. "By halving my life points, I can give my dragon 400 attack points times its level (Night Dragon: Attack 6600); And once per turn, I can draw one card. So I'm drawing a card." I drew it and set it in my hand, my plan at its peak. My opponent tensed a bit, seeing my dragon's new attack. "Now I activate Dragon's Roar of Destruction! This destroys all of your spell and trap cards as long as I have a dragon type monster on my field. Although, neither me nor Yusei are able to Delta Accel Synchro and don't have any Delta Accel Synchro monsters, it's just like you taught Yusei: If we believe in our potential, we will be able to surpass and challenge our limits." I took a deep breath. "I may not be able to destroy your Halberd Cannon, but I can still deal the damage. Night Dragon, attack-" I stopped when the track starts to shake as it gets sucked into the black hole.

Antinomy, now actually seeming concerned for Yusei and I, said, "We will soon be trapped in the black hole. Once we're inside its radius, there's no way for us to escape the light. If you don't attack now, you're elementary particle level will be destroyed and you will disappear." He anxiously looked at Yusei and I, more at Yusei.

"If you really want me to finish my attack, fine," I agreed. "Night Dragon, attack Tech Genus Halberd Cannon! Starburst Stream **(A/N: First person to tell me the reference gets a shout out)**!"

"This is Jayla's…" Antinomy trailed off.

"It's just as you taught me through Yusei: It's the power beyond my limits," I told him and his life points dropped to zero.

Antinomy's visor cracked and his duel runner partly exploded and started to spin out of control, causing him to fall back into the black hole. Both Yusei and I looked back and called out in shock and horror as he got consumed into the black hole.

Yusei then realized, "We've entered the space from which we cannot leave!"

We spotted Antinomy riding up behind us. I immediately asked, "Are you alright?" That was when I noticed he was smiling.

"You and Yusei have shown me your potential. Yusei, save the world and save Z-One," he replied, not answering the question.

"What do you mean?" Yusei asked, riding up. "You've been fighting because you knew the world would be destroyed."

"During the time I have spent with you and your friends, I have seen you break through the impossible and when I regained my memory, I made a terrible decision. I can count on your potential, both of yours," Antinomy explained. A piece of his duel runner broke off and cut his face. "You will succeed and surpass your limits. That's why I started this duel with you, to show you a new power: Delta Accel. I wasn't expected Jayla to take your place, but you still were able to witness it and see its power. It's not too late to perform a Delta Accel Synchro summon."

Yusei looked surprised with me. "Is that what you tried to teach me from the start?"

Antinomy bowed his head. "If I hadn't been different from you and the others, we might have been true friends."

"Bruno, you are one of us. You're a member of Team 5Ds," Yusei corrected. I nodded in agreement. My boyfriend held out his fist and said, "Bruno is my friend."

"Do you consider me a friend?" Antinomy, or more Bruno now, asked. "I had felt the power of infinite possibilities when I had you by my side." A part of his duel runner blew and Bruno started to fall back.

Yusei held back his hand and called, "Bruno, grab on!"

"It's useless. I had said one of us must disappear in this course. The time I spent with you, Jayla, and your friends were my best days," he responded. He gathered the remainder of his runner's power and pulled over behind Yusei.

"What are you doing?" Yusei asked.

"You're my hope," Bruno replied, not answering the question. "Accel Synchro is more than light. You must use that light to carve a new future." Bruno ripped his helmet and visor off and screamed, "Go, Yusei!" His runner greatly sped up and pushed my boyfriend's runner towards the light. Bruno was quick to get me into Yusei stream. Another component exploded and Bruno's runner fell back again. Our friend smiled, obviously confident in Yusei. His runner exploded some more and Bruno fell back.

"Bruno! Bruno!" Yusei screamed in fear before we exited to the light.

We were quickly transported back to the Ark Cradle and we both fell off our runners as the Planetary Gear stopped spinning. Yusei stood up first and ran over to me and helped me sit up. My heart still ached and hurt, and I didn't know why. But whatever started it, it wasn't that attack.

We spotted Bruno's broken visor. Yusei obviously noticed something before tears began to drip down his face. I wrapped my arms around him, trying to comfort him. I was sad about Bruno dying, feeling that it may have been my fault. My only solace was the fact I was able to keep Yusei safe.


	70. The Last Human

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 70**

 **The Last Human**

Third Person POV

The door to the center Planetary Gear opened in front of Luna, Leo, Jack, Akiza Crow, and Sherry.

"Yusei, must've stopped the third gear," Luna commented. The others agreed.

As if on cue, Yusei and Jayla rode up on their duel runners. Their friends hurried up to greet them. They questioned on Jayla suddenly having her runner, but she merely said, "I'll explain another time."

"Is everyone okay?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah," they answered.

"I got my own Mark of the Dragon," Leo commented showing it.

"We were impressed with how well Leo dueled with us against Aporia," Jack commented with Luna nodded with a small grin.

"Nice work, Leo," Yusei greeted.

Jayla was looking at Life, whom was invisible, and he nodded in respect. She nodded back. They both turned as Yusei looked at Sherry.

"I have decided to fight alongside you," the French duelist told them.

"What happened to the guy with the sunglasses, Vizor?" Akiza asked.

Yusei hung his head and said, "That man is no longer here. He protected the Planetary Gear. His name was Bruno."

"Bruno?" Leo responded surprised along with everyone else.

"Why would Bruno do such a thing?" Crow asked.

"Bruno's real name was Antinomy and just like Aporia, he was sent by Z-One to change the future," Jayla explained.

"Does that mean Bruno was our enemy?" Luna asked.

"That isn't true," Yusei replied. "Bruno was sent by Z-One, but the emotions Bruno displayed while fighting alongside us were real. That's why Bruno taught me how to fight against him. Even though it was Jayla who forced me to stay back while she dueled him."

"Wait, Jayla dueled him?" Akiza questioned.

"Yeah, I didn't want Yusei dueling at the time," she answered.

"But he has Accel Synchro and stuff like that," Leo commented.

"Leo's right. No offense, Jayla, I don't think even you could duel him, even with your deck and strategies," Crow commented.

"I won, didn't I?" she responded. "And it's thanks to this." She pulled out her Night Dragon.

"When did you get that?" Luna asked.

"A while ago. After I mastered my own Accel Synchro with the help of Ancient and Wing," Jayla answered shocking them.

"Whoa, whoa, you managed to get Accel Synchro, too?" Crow responded.

"Before Yusei, actually," she merely replied. "But Accel Synchro isn't the end to the tools we need to learn."

"She's right. Bruno showed us the new power we can use to fight Z-One, Delta Accel Synchro summon," Yusei added. "Bruno gave his life to save me and Jayla. He left the future in our hands."

Everyone went a bit silent, their heads down as they mourned a bit over their old friend's death. That's when Crow broke the silence, "It's unforgivable that Z-One used Bruno as a shield from the Planetary Gear."

"Sherry, do you know where Z-One is located?" Jack asked. She nodded. "Then let's go avenge Bruno."

They mounted their duel runners again, with Life flying above Leo and the twins, and headed towards Z-One. They soon began to drive up a long spiral stairway, filled with gears.

"What is this place?" Luna wondered.

"How long does it go on for?" Leo added.

"There!" Crow called spotting an old Ener-D device.

"That must be the support gear that's running on Old Ener-D," Jayla deduced.

Yusei bowed his head a bit and thought, _'My fate isn't over yet.'_

After a bit, the group finally reached the top of the staircase, which took them to a scrapyard. "Welcome," called Z-One's voice.

Jayla led the others in the direction of the voice, being able to sense it, Yusei staying close to her. As they drove, they passed a number of duel monsters tablets on the way. Eventually, they arrived at a heap of scrap, Z-One perched on top. Everyone dismounted their runners and rushed over.

That's when Leo noticed something and said surprised, "A part of Z-One looks like Yusei's duel runner.

"I have witnessed all of your duels. As one would expect from Team 5Ds, you have all fought admirably. And Sherry seems to have joined you," Z-One stated.

"The past cannot be changed. I am only going to live for the future," Sherry responded.

"And for that future to come, you need to disappear," Jack added.

"I'm not going to let you destroy New Domino City," Crow refused.

"And I made a promise to Bruno to save the future," Yusei stated.

"You mean Antinomy," Z-One corrected. "What exactly are you capable of? The Synchro summons you created led the world to destruction in the first place. Had Synchro summoning not existed in the first place, the Ener-D Yusei's father created would not have gone berserk and humanity would not have met our downfall. Ener-D and Synchro summoning carry nothing but a future of destruction and despair with them. So in order to change this future, I orchestrated Zero Reverse in order to eliminate Ener-D. I then sent Paradox as a trial to eliminate the root source of duel monsters."

"I remember Paradox, but I didn't know he was also sent by you," Yusei commented. _'Oh, I will always remember him and how he took Jayla from me,'_ he added in a bit of anger.

"Presently, I created Aporia and Antinomy to see the completion of my plan, which entails dropping the Divine Temple onto New Domino City. That'll destroy the city and all of the Ener-D," Z-One continued.

"You erased Bruno's memories and he died for that purpose," Yusei retorted a bit mad. "I promise, I am going to stop the Divine Temple."

"Then I offer you, Yusei, a chance to duel me. The support gear operated the Divine Temple is linked to me. Unless I am defeated in a duel, the gear will not stop," Z-One suggested.

"That's just what I wanted," Yusei stated and started to run up to Aporia.

But before he could get very far, Aporia appeared and said, "Stop, Yusei." He was damaged from his duel with Jack, Leo, and Luna, who were all surprised to see he was still alive. He then turned to Z-One and said, "I shall be your opponent."

"Wait, why is Aporia fighting Z-One?" Akiza asked.

"By living on in the ruined future is part of my mission," Aporia answered.

"What do you mean by 'mission'?" Jack asked.

"I found an answer in my duel with you three; the answer to why I continued to live, despite suffering so much despair," Aporia began. "After losing my mother, father, and lover, being alone, I continued to move forward after those events. No matter how much despair I felt, I never lost my hope. Because of this hope, I was able to make it this far and dueled all of you many times until I realized this. I want to duel Z-One, because I want him to remember the hope he once held for Yusei and all of you."

"He had hope for us?" Crow commented as surprised as everyone else.

"I sent you to complete the Grand Design and allow the Divine Temple to appear. In order to complete the Grand Design, I also sent Antinomy to stimulate the evolution of Team 5D's," Z-One stated. "I erased Antinomy's memories as I believed that they would only hinder the plan. I also helped them in stopping the Ark Cradle. Is that evolution what I was hoping for the start?"

"There is a good chance that Team 5Ds can stop the evolution that destroyed mankind. Because of that, you sent Antinomy to Yusei and his friends, leaving them the little remaining possibility that humanity had left and the last piece of hope. If that is true, why have you tried to stop the evolution and tried to kill them after leaving the future with them?" Aporia asked.

"This hope you speak of does not exist in the present," Z-One replied.

"You once had a great deal of hope. I want you to remember it," Aporia retorted. He stumbled back, as he still suffered the damage from his last duel, but managed to whip out his duel disk and challenged, "Z-One, face me in a duel."

"But Aporia's current condition could be a problem," Leo commented a bit worried.

"Having witnessed your hope, Leo, I came to understand the bond that Team 5Ds share is the same hope I had been searching for. And because I have that hope, I shall fight," Aporia explained.

"Don-" Leo was cut off by Jack.

"Let him do it," Jack told him. "This is Aporia's way of deciding what is right and wrong."

"Why do you insist on fighting me, Aporia?" Z-One asked. "However, I shall begin by burying you. Let us duel."

A device shoots up from inside the scrap him, causing Team 5Ds and Sherry to be thrown back, but Life and Jayla used their energy to make a small dome to protect them. The device then separated into three components. Two of them floated next to Z-One as arms, while the third floated just in front of him.

The duel monsters tablets in the scrapyard then flew towards the third device. The stones shattered from around them with Life and Jayla shielding them from the debris, making large, but otherwise regular cards. The cards stacked up in the device, ready for Z-One to use as his deck.

"Watch closely, Team 5Ds, and see Z-One's strength," Aporia told them.


	71. Former Friends- Part 1

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 71**

 **Former Friends- Part 1**

Third Person POV

"I shall go first." Aporia drew his card. "I summon Grand Core and then activate Chaos Bloom to destroy it. And since Grand Core was destroyed by a card effect, I can special summon Meklord Emperor Granel (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack position, Granel Top (Attack 500/ Defense 0) in attack position, Granel Attack (Attack 1300/ Defense 0) in attack position, Granel Guard (Attack 500/ Defense 1000) in defense position, and Granel Carrier (Attack 700/ Defense 700) in attack position. And due to its effect, my monsters will combine into one and its attack and defense points increase to become equal to my life points (Meklord Emperor Granel: Attack 4000/ Defense 4000)."

"He summoned Meklord Emperor Granel with 4000 attack on the first turn?" Leo questioned surprised with Luna and Crow.

"Why is it being used at all? Is Z-One really a powerful opponent?" Yusei wondered quietly.

"I set one face down and end my turn," Aporia finished.

"As Meklord Emperor Granel is summoned, you are obviously away of my power. Do you honestly think that will be enough to defeat me?" Z-One asked.

"He's talking about Granel as if it was any other card," Leo commented.

"What monsters is Z-One about to summon?" Akiza wondered.

Z-One began his turn. "I summon Time Angel (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode," he declared.

"A monster with zero attack against Granel?" Leo commented surprised.

"Why do that?" Luna added just as surprised.

"Time Angel, attack Meklord Emperor Granel," Z-One ordered.

"That could result in 4000 points of battle damage, which would cause Z-One to lose instantly," Crow pointed out.

Time Angel was destroyed, but Z-One called, "I activate the trap card Foolish Decision from my hand."

"A trap card being used from the hand?" Jack questioned shocked.

"It's also unconditional. Foolish Decision reduces the damage to 0 and since Time Angel was destroyed by battle all monsters on the field are returned to their owners hands," Sherry explained. Granel split back into five components and was returned to Aporia's hand.

"And with Granel Core gone, it will take Aporia five turns to reassemble it. It's effectively sealed off," Yusei commented.

Jayla nodded as she kept the shield up with Life. "This isn't going to end well," she agreed.

She was beginning to strain a bit with keeping the shield up, since she was using reserved energy from her Dragon Protector side to create it. There wasn't a lot of energy to begin with, and she knew if she ran out of it, her stone heart that stored that power would lose too much energy. It wouldn't kill her, but she would be an easy meal to the Immortals.

"Jayla?" Yusei called near silent, as he noticed her beginning to strain. _'She's forcing herself to use power she doesn't have to protect us with Leo's Dragon Protector. And she's still hurt after that duel with Antinomy, even if she said she was fine.'_

"I activate another Trap Card from my hand, Magician's Adage! This inflicts 300 points of damage to you for every card returned to my hand," Z-One continued turned Yusei's attention back to the duel.

Aporia was hit by a blast and was violently thrown back as his life points dropped to 2500. Leo began to run over to help, but Life stopped his shield for a moment to stop Leo while Aporia assured, "I'm fine. I can still fight." He walked back to his position and Z-One set a card to end his turn. Their new ally began his turn and drew his card. "I summon Wise Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0) and activate Chaos Blast. By sending three cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard and destroy Wise Core. And since Wise Core was destroyed, I can special summon Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity (Attack 0/ Defense 0), Wisel Top (Attack 500/ Defense 0), Wisel Attack (Attack 1200/ 0), Wisel Guard (Attack 0/ Defense 1200), and Wisel Carrier (Attack 800/ Defense 600)! And now I'll combine them to create the monster of your defeat. Meklord Emperor Wisel (Attack 2500/ Defense 0)! Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Z-One directly!"

Leo celebrated that it was going to work, but Yusei stated, "No, that won't work."

"I activate another trap card from my hand, Empress' Staff! Since I control no monsters, it negates the attack, ends the battle phase, and inflicts 500 points of damage to you," Z-One defended. Aporia was struck by electricity and his life points dropped to 2000. He fell forward, landing flat on the ground. Z-One said to his former friend, "Stop, Aporia. There is no hope for the future, only despair. You should know that more than anyone. Going further will only result in despair. You cannot defeat me."

However, Aporia stood up and insisted, "We will continue. I set a face down and end my turn."

"It cannot be avoided them. How about I remind you what true despair feels like?" Z-One offered and began his turn. "I activate my face down continuous trap, Nonexistence! Provided I control no monsters, this allows me to summon a level ten or higher monster with releasing anything, but their attack is reduced to zero. So I summon Metaion the Timelord (Attack 0/ Defense 0)."

"That is your ace monster," Aporia declared.

' _With only zero attack, what kind of effect does it have?'_ Yusei wondered.

"Metaion the Timelord, attack Meklord Emperor Wisel! And though Wisel has more attack, the effect of Metaion prevents it from being destroyed by battle and reduces the battle damage to zero. And since it was involved in battle, its effect returns all monsters my opponent controls to their owner's hand and inflicts three hundred damage for each card returned," Z-One declared. The five Wisel cards were returned to Aporia's hand and he was once again violently thrown back by a blast as his life points dropped to 500.

"And since Metaion can't be destroyed by battle, it must be destroyed by a spell or trap card," Crow stated.

"No, Metaion cannot be destroyed," Aporia corrected.

"Metaion is the Lord of all lords. It cannot be destroyed by anyone," Z-One explained.

"I will not lose because I have hope," Aporia still insisted. He began his turn and drew his card. He looked at it and thought, _'As long as I have this card, I can still fight. This is a card of hope that will bring forth a miracle.'_ He then played, "I summon Sky Core (Attack 0/ Defense 0)."

"Is he planning on summoning Meklord Emperor Skiel?" Yusei wondered. "If he does that, attacked Metaion will only result in it returning to his hand and taking more damage than he has life points. Just what is Aporia planning?"


	72. Former Friends- Part 2

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 72**

 **Former Friends- Part 2**

Third Person POV

Aporia had just summoned Sky Core and then called, "I activate my face down, Double Tribute! This can be activated when I summon a monster. Its effect destroys the summoned monster and one monster you control. And I choose your Metaion the Timelord!"

"Metaion cannot be destroyed, Aporia. You know this," Z-One retorted.

As such Skiel Core was destroyed by card effect, meaning it special summoned Meklord Emperor Skiel (Attack 0/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Skiel Top (Attack 600/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Skiel Attack (Attack 1000/ Defense 0) in attack mode, Skiel Guard (Attack 200/ Defense 300) in defense mode, and Skiel Carrier (Attack 400/ Defense 0) in attack mode. And due to the effect of Meklord Emperor Skiel, they combined (Meklord Emperor Skiel: Attack 2200).

"Aporia has succeed in summoning a Meklord each turn for the past three turns," Akiza remarked.

"And that Skiel is able to manipular the other Meklord components," Jack added.

"Yeah, but there is still that Metaion on Z-One's side of the field and it can't be destroyed," Yusei commented, worried.

"You do not understand, Aporia," Z-One stated. "No matter how many Meklord monsters you summon, your despair will only deepen."

"I shall no longer feel despair as I have the hope of Team 5Ds by my side," Aporia retorted. "I activate my other face down, High Rate Draw! This destroys all monsters I control and lets me draw a card for every two monsters destroyed."

"He's getting rid of Skiel," Yusei commented a bit surprised.

"Why?" Leo also questioned.

Aporia proceeded to draw two cards and thought, _'The fate of this duel rests on what he draws now. It must be a card that gives me hope, so that I can remind Z-One of his hope.'_ He looked at his drawn cards. _'I have gotten it.'_ He then played, "I activate Future Destruction! This spell card sends cards from the top of my deck equal to the number of hards in my hand to the graveyard."

"How many cards are in Aporia's hand?" Leo asked.

"He has twelve," Yusei answered.

"What is Aporia thinking?" Crow wondered.

"I am destroying my deck," Aporia announced, much to Yusei's surprise. "Watch closely, as this is the hope Team 5Ds has given me."

"I don't understand," Leo commented. "Isn't the point to destroy the _opponent's_ deck?"

"It is, because if you can drop the contents of the opponent's deck to zero, they will be unable to draw," Akiza explained.

"This isn't a normal strategy. Aporia must have something planned," Yusei commented.

"Aporia has been planning this all along," Jayla added, "so that he would have a better chance of fighting."

"I still don't follow," Leo responded.

"Meklord monsters can only be summoned where their five components are in the deck, so by summoning them has helped him lessen the number of cards in his deck," Crow explained.

"He also summoned the Meklord monsters to use the effect of Metaion the Timelord, increasing the number of cards in his hand, so he could send more cards from his deck to the graveyard with Future Destruction," Yusei added.

"Why is Aporia doing this?" Jack asked. "If his deck runs out and he's unable to draw, he loses. What does Aporia have planned to backup that risk?"

Aporia sent the cards and was left with no cards in his deck. "I am about to show you a miracle. If you have hope, you can change the future," he stated. "I activate the spell card, Afterglow! This gets shuffled back into my deck, and if I draw it on my next draw phase, I inflict 4000 damage to you."

"And since its the only card in his deck, he's guaranteed to draw it in his next draw phase. And that'll take out all of Z-One's life points," Yusei deduced. Jayla gave a small nod, starting to find herself on the last bit of reserves she had.

"Aporia has won then!" Leo commented a bit happy.

"Z-One could still defeat Aporia before his next draw phase, all he needs to do is summon a monster that can take out Aporia's 500 remaining life points," Sherry pointed out.

"The effect of Metaion the Timelord disallows Z-One from summoning any more monsters and it, itself, has only zero attack," Aporia explained.

"Nice strategy," Jack complimented.

"I end my turn," Aporia finished. Since he has more than six cards in his hand during his End Phase, he discards five in maintaining the hand size limit.

Yusei's attention was focused on Jayla, however, as he saw her straining was becoming more apparent. And that worried him to no end. "Jayla, stop that and get over here."

"I'm fine, Yusei," she assured.

"No, you're not," he retorted.

"I'm fine," she insisted.

"Jayla, I know you're still weak after the duel with Bruno and you're not a full Dragon Protector anymore. You don't need to do this," Yusei argued.

Jayla looked at Life who was obviously talking to her. Her Signer was praying Life was trying to convince her to do as he wanted. After a few minutes of stress, Jayla came to his side and Yusei immediately grabbed her hand to be sure she stayed at his side, shocked to feel it a bit cold. She had really put a lot of her energy into that shield. And she looked a bit more exhausted and more in pain than before.

Z-One then told, Aporia, taking their attention back to the duelists, "I saw the strategy you were using."

"You need to believe in Team 5Ds, like you did so long ago," Aporia tried again.

"Is Team 5Ds where you got this hope and the card, Afterglow, from?" Z-One asked. "Is this where that hope leads you?" He drew his card to begin his turn. "Metaion the Timelord returns to my deck during my standby phase. And now that I control no monsters, I can use the effect of Nonexistence, which lets me summon a level ten or higher monster without releasing and with its attack reduced to zero."

"Why would Z-One want to use that?" Luna asked. "He can win if he summons a monster with 500 or more attack."

Z-One turned his eyes to Luna. "I shall use a monster with zero attack to tame the hope in Aporia and make it leave." He then played, "I summon the second Timelord." That shocked Aporia to hear that there are more than one. "The Timelords are a given life from an infinite term; They intertwine with each other and consist of ten cards of the almighty god. Metaion the Timelord is only one piece of it. So rise, Lazion the Timelord (Attack 0/ Defense 0)! This monster cannot be destroyed by battle or the effects of monster, spell, or trap cards. Remember, Aporia, hope is just an illusion. Lazion, attack Aporia directly!"

"Why? It only has zero attack," Jack questioned surprised.

"Z-One did something similar with Metaion," Yusei reminded him. Jayla nodded slowly and Yusei brought her a bit closer. She was definitely drained and he didn't like that for a second.

"When Lazion attacks, all monsters on your field and all cards in your graveyard are returned to their deck and shuffled," Z-One explained. "The thirty-three cards in Aporia's graveyard were shuffled back into his deck. "The next effect of Lazion allows me to inflict 1000 damage to my opponent the next time we draw. I end my turn. There are now thirty-four cards in your deck; If you draw Afterglow, I will take 4000 damage and lose. If you draw anything else, you will take 1000 damage and lose. You are now under the hand of death. Do you think hope is on your side? Is the miracle you plan on performing an example of hope or how to die? In reality, possibilities exist and humans attempt to construct these possibilities like I once did, but the reality that lies ahead is death."

"That is not so. If one has hope, miracles will happen. I shall grab that hope with my own hands," Aporia argued. He gets ready to draw his card and thought, _'I have no choice but to get Afterglow now.'_ Aporia drew, but got Meklord Emperor Granel.

As such, Z-One, said, "It looks like you have failed to perform a miracle. I thank you for how well you have served me. But your role is now over. I hope you rest in peace." The effect of Lazion activated and Aporia's life points fell to zero.

Aporia fell on his back and Yusei, Jayla, Leo, and Jack rushed over to him. "I am sorry for failing to defeat Z-One. I was unable to find and respond with the hope you gave me."

"That's not true," Yusei retorted. "You found a response for yourself and gave us all hope." Aporia was surprised to hear this. "The Timelord cards are a difficult monster to beat, but now we're aware of their effects. That is the hope you have given us. As long as we have that hope, we will always fight."

"I am glad to hear that I gave you hope to the future," Aporia responded. He grabbed the ring from his back and threw it at Yusei's duel runner. When it hit, it caused the duel runner to grow wings. With that, Aporia dropped his hand and died.

Leo began to cry while everyone remained silent. Soon enough, the young boy turned to Z-One and asked, "Why did you do that? Do you not realize what you have done to your own friend?"

"Aporia was not a friend of mine," Z-One retorted. "The Aporia you just saw was just a copy of the real Aporia's memory. He and Antinomy both helped Team 5Ds and came face-to-face with death."

"Have you ever considered that Aporia and Bruno might be your true friends? Instead of having the thought that they were just copied," Yusei asked. He pointed at Z-One. "We'll settle this now."


	73. Beginning of the Climax

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 73**

 **Beginning of the Climax**

Yusei's POV

"There isn't much time left," Z-One stated to my challenge. "This shall be the final duel." He then caused the dome we were inside to disappear. Up above us, we saw New Domino City and realized we were upside-down.

' _The Divine Temple must have a separate source of gravity holding us on,'_ I thought.

The temple started to glow and six monitors floated around it. Z-One was shown and he introduced himself. He explained that New Domino would be destroyed by the Divine Temple and that a new future will be created. He then advised the citizens to prepare themselves for the moment of you death.

I glared warningly as he turned to me. "We shall do this now. You shall use your duel runner that Aporia customized," he told me.

"Do it, Yusei," Crow encouraged.

"So him the truth," Akiza added.

Jack then handed me his Red Dragon Archfiend. "I'm trusting you with it." Crow then gave me his Black-Winged Dragon, Akiza gave me her Black Rose Dragon, Leo gave me both his Power Tool Dragon and Life Stream Dragon, and Luna gave me her Ancient Fairy Dragon.

I took the cards and said, "With these, I'll definitely win and get back our future." I looked at Jayla. "Stay here. I'll be back soon, I promise." She looked down but gave a small nod, obviously knowing that if I summoned Stardust Dragon, she would be by my side as always. With that, I got on my runner and both Z-One and I flew off the Divine Temple.

Z-One then asked, "Do you really think you can use your power to open the path to a new future? Everything is going according to my plan. Compared to you, I consider myself a god. Mine and everyone's lives were changed by the Zero Reverse. As orphans growing up in Satellite, we jumped at the chance to participating in the World Racing Grand Prix, but I cannot assure you that you will be victorious in the face of the Divine Temple. Do you understand the meaning of me being a god? If a god chooses the path of destruction, you cannot argue against it."

"Even if we have been living our lives in the palm your hands, we can overcome it with our feelings. And even if something is the will of a god, we will continue to overcome it. We will start a new future," I vowed. They then activated Speed World 2, initiating the duel.

Z-One went first. "As I control no other monsters, I can special summon Time Maiden (Attack 0/ Defense 0). And with its effect, it can count as two monsters for a tribute summon of a Timelord. So I release it to summon Metaion the Timelord. I set one card face down and end my turn. If you really have the power to change the future, you must prove it to me by defeating me."

' _Timelord monsters can't be destroyed and when Metaion battles, it effect returns my monsters to my hand and Z-One takes no battle damage,'_ I thought. With that in mind, I began my turn. I looked at New Domino City for a moment and thought, _'New Domino will be crushed if I don't hurry.'_ Then I declared, "For the sake of New Domino, I will prove to you that I can stop the Divine Temple!" "Since you control monsters while I control none, I can special summon Double Delta Warrior from my hand (Attack 0/ Defense 2100). I then discard Quillbolt Hedgehog and Clear Effector to special summon Big Eater (Attack 1800/ Defense 1200). And now since I control a tuner monster, I can special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard. Next I normal summon Debris Dragon (Attack 1000/ Defense 2000) and use its effect to special summon Clear Effector from my graveyard, with its effected negated. Now I tune my level six Delta Warrior with the level two Big Eater! With all the strength everyone has given me, I will use the power of our Synchros to represent our bonds." I picked up Black-Winged Dragon. "Darkened squalls, become the wings that soar from resolved hope. Synchro summon! Soar, Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600)! Now I tune the level two Quillbolt Hedgehog and the level two Clear Effector with the level four Debris Dragon." I picked Red Dragon Archfiend. "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here. Take witness to its creation-shaking power. Synchro summon! My very soul, Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 2000)!" I heard Jack and Crow send some encouragement to make use of their dragons. I looked at Z-One. "My beliefs will lead me to victory."

"Like I had expected, you have brought out the servants of the Crimson Dragon," Z-One commented. "However, no matter how strong your synchro monsters are, it will fail to change the situation." He laughed. "No matter how powerful a synchro monster is, attacking is still useless."

"Do you think I don't have something to back myself up?" I asked. "Since Double Delta Warrior was used for a synchro, I cannot attack and since Clear Effector was used to synchro summon Red Dragon Archfiend, its effect is negated. So even if I don't attack with Black-Winged Dragon, it won't be destroyed. Added, the effect of Clear Effector also lets me draw a card." I drew it. "I set two cards face down and end my turn."

"Did you really I was unable to attack you?" Z-One asked me, puzzling me a bit. "You were unwilling to attack me from the beginning. Is that correct?" He began his turn. "During my standby phase, Metaion the Timelord returns to my deck. Is this what you had been aiming for? I assumed that you realized like Metaion, all the Timelord cards have the effect to return to the deck during the standby phase."

"Yes," I answered.

"What I see in you is the answer of death," Z-One stated.

"Why did you reveal the effects of the Timelord cards to me?" I asked.

"Since you are about to face death, it is not really revealing," Z-One answered. "I knew you only summoned monsters so you could attack me after Metaion returned to the deck. Under your assumption every Timelord will return to the deck, it leaves you unprotected. Is that what you had been hoping for? Did you think you could overcome the situation just by waiting like that?"

"Yes," I answered. "In this situation, I can skip the battle phase and you will still be unprotected."

Z-One smirked and said, "I, like you, once believed in possibilities and tried to protect this world. But everything turned out to be a failure, which I credit to faith."

"I am not like you," I retorted angrily. "And that's because no matter what the obstacles are, I believe that as long as there is a possibility, I will never give up. I will carve a new future with my hands and to do so, I will believe in possibility."

"Believing in such possibilities are foolish. Have you learned nothing from the defeat of Aporia?" Z-One asked. "I activate my continuous trap, Nonexistence! When I control no monsters, I am able to summon a level ten or higher monster without releasing anything, but the monster's attack will be reduced to zero. So I summon Lazion the Timelord (Attack 0/ Defense 0)! Remember, Yusei: it can't be destroyed by battle; any battle damage I take from it is reduced to zero; when it battles, all monsters you control and and all cards in your graveyard are turned to the deck; and when you draw a card, you take 1000 points of damage."

"This is the Timelord that defeated Aporia," I recognized.

"In facing me, you have no hope of winning," Z-One stated. "Genuflect before the power of god or die. Lazion, attack Red Dragon Archfiend!"

"I activate my face down, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! This negates the attack," I defended the attack was avoided. "And now it's reset." Z-One seemed a little ticked. "No matter how much you throw at me, I will not fail and I will carve a new fate with my hands."

"I set a face down and end my turn," Z-One finished.

I heard Jack urge to me, "Yusei, grab victory before Z-One has a strategy!"

I began my turn, glad to see what I drew. However, Lazion's effect activated dealing me 1000 points of damage. It also sent my duel runner spinning violent off course. However, I managed to regain control for any harm was done.

"I activate the spell, Angel Baton! This lets me draw two cards, but I have to send a card to the graveyard," I called. I drew. _'Timelords may be nearly invincible, but there is a way to break through,'_ I thought. I discarded Regene Warrior for the effect of Angel Baton. "Now since I just discarded Regene Warrior (Attack 0/ Defense 0), I can special summon it with its own effect. Next I summon Junk Synchron (Attack 1300/ Defense 500). Now I tune my level four Regene Warrior with my level three Junk Synchron! Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom. Synchro summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon (Attack 2400/ Defense 1800)!" Akiza's dragon rose to the field. "Now I activate Black Rose Dragon's effect! This effect destroys all cards on the field. Black Rose Gale!"

"The effect of Lazion prevents itself from being destroyed by card effects," Z-One pointed out. "You will no longer be able to defend your monsters with Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. Is that not quite disadvantageous?"

"Don't underestimate the power of my team of synchro monsters," I retorted. "I activate my face down, Synchro Barrier Force! This negates an effect that destroys cards and then inflicts 500 points of damage to my opponent for each synchro monster I control. I control three synchro monsters that my friends gave me. So, the power of bonds with friends will inflict 1500 points of damage at you." The blast sent Z-One spinning and crashing through a building as his life points dropped to 2500. "I end my turn."

Z-One came out the other end of the building, with his masked cracked. He laughed. "They are calling you a savior." He hovered over me. "You always seem to have people cheering you on to give you hope."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Do I need to explain?" Z-One replied. The damaged portion of Z-One's mask started to crumble away. "I have lived through the future of the Earth. And you are a hero of legend."

"I am?" I responded surprised. That's when I saw more of Z-One's mask fall apart, revealing some of his face. To all of our surprise, his face looked like an older, wrinkled version of mine and had the same criminal marker. "Just who in the world are you?"


	74. A Future Legend

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 74**

 **A Future Legend**

Yusei's POV

I saw more of Z-One's mask fall apart, revealing some of his face. To all of our surprise, his face looked like an older, wrinkled version of mine and had the same criminal marker. "Just who in the world are you?"

"Since my face has been revealed, I have no choice but to tell you. I am your future self," Z-One replied shocking everyone. But I noticed Jayla didn't seemed shocked, only angry. She knew something we didn't. Z-One began to tell the tale of what happened in his future, **"** People's desire for unlimited synchros caused Ener-D to go out of control. Ener-D is a machine which reads people's will and as a result of evolution, people's minds were full of temptation and evil intents. This caused the Ener-D to go out of control and affect the network which links the world. Since the Earth was to be led to destruction, the solution was to kill all humans. As such, the Meklord Emperors were created and began attack humans. In order to lead humanity back to the correct path, I was reborn. I, when I looked just like you now, then appeared as a woman and her two children were about to be crushed by debris. I saved them by blasting debris away using a cannon attached to your runner. I then told them I was Yusei Fudo."

"That's impossible," I denied.

"Everything I have said is the truth," Z-One insisted. "That is how I can tell what kind of strategy you will come up with like the palm of my hand. Now shall we continue the duel?" He drew his card to begin his turn. "During the standby phase, Lazion is turned to my deck. Now I sense Nonexistence to the graveyard to activate Endless Emptiness! This allows me to special summon level ten monsters. So I summon Zaphion the Timelord (Attack 0/ Defense 0). This Timelord cannot be destroyed by battle and I take no battle damage from battles involves this card. But can you defend yourself against the attack from Zaphion?"

"The effects of the Timelord monsters prevent you from summoning any other monsters, meaning you can only have one monster and that means you can only attack once per turn. And that can be negated with Scrap-Iron Scarecrow," I replied.

Z-One laughed. "I thought I said I know what you are thinking. I have prepared to stop that strategy. Endless Emptiness has another effect. Any effect that negates the summoning restrictions the Timelord monsters have, thus granting them unlimited power. So by using the effect of Endless Emptiness, I summon two more Timelords. Rise, Zadion (Attack 0/ Defense 0) and Kamion (Attack 0/ Defense 0)! Now, Zaphion, attack Black-Winged Dragon! And when Zaphion battles, it returns your trap and spells to your deck."

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to negate the attack," I defended the attack was avoided. "Now it re-sets."

"Zadion, attack Black Rose Dragon!" Z-One ordered. "And when Zadion battles when my life points are below 4000, which they are, they get destroyed." As said, Z-One's life points returned to their original 4000.

"Now, Kamion, attack Red Dragon Archfiend! When Kamion battles, all your monsters are returned to the deck and you take 500 points of damage for each," Z-One continued. My three synchro monsters were returned to my extra deck and my life points dropped to 1500. I began to dangerously spin off course from the black. But, luckily, before hitting the ground, I managed to regain control of my runner and get back on course. "You have managed to avoid death. I end my turn." He then asked, "Am I right in saying you are looking for hope in this situation? I know what you are thinking: You have no cards in your hand either and during my next standbye phase, my three Timelords will returned to my deck. If I don't manage to draw a Timelord, I must end my turn without summoning making your attack possible and giving you a chance for victory. I had also believed in the possibility of saving the world, but things didn't work out as I had thought. This led me to the conclusion that in order to obtain peace in the future, this city must be destroyed."

"I'm not going to give up. I would never consider destroying the city as a method of saving the future. You're not me," I retorted.

"Are you still denying it?" Z-One asked me. He flew up closer to me and said, "In that case, I will tell you why I am you." I wasn't sure I wanted or cared to hear it, but listened anyway, "I was once a scientist looking for a way to save the world from destruction. I found a way to stop the machine army. It was controlled by Ener-D, whose power source was the Planetary Gear, which reads people's hearts. So I needed to make the Planetary Gears spin the right way, but the swollen desires and negative hearts of the people wasn't something I could change by myself. At one point, I looked over the citizens of the ruined New Domino City. Down below a car sped passed the people and into an ATM at Domino Bank, creating an explosion and money to fly amongst the citizens. A young girl was left unattended and started crying as everyone else tried to grab the money. At that time, I remembered the story of Yusei Fudo, a hero who had saved the city before. I then returned to my laboratory and looked at the images of your runner and you in front of the Immortals, you with Shooting Star Dragon, and the last one of you with Stardust Dragon, along with some of the Dark Signers. Going through all difficulty and never giving up on that legend, I concluded that in order to save the world, I must become Yusei Fudo. So I built my own duel runner identical to your, and by copying your personality, I could become Yusei Fudo. I had a mechanical device placed over the right side of my head and got machines to perform surgery on my face to make it match yours. Parts of my lab started to explode in the process, but the surgery worked. I was reborn as Yusei Fudo, someone who leads people's hearts in the right direction. My power was amazing. I told people that the world was being led to its destruction, that humans have accelerated their evolution and will one day become full of greed and negativity, which has caused the Ener-D to spin in the opposite direction and go out of control. Just then, a swarm of Meklord Emperors arrived. I asked everyone to watch me and rode in the Meklord Emperors directions. I performed a Clear Mind and summoned Shooting Star Dragon, which flew passed the Meklord Emperors causing them to cease functioning. I told the people that a Clear Mind is that state of no doubts. By throwing away their own greed and moving on with the right feelings, the Ener-D will stop spinning out of control and once that happens the world will be saved. The people began to cheer and ran over to me. By obtaining your power and being you, I became well known afar. I led a crowd of people, who were helping and understanding each other. We walked towards a swarm of Meklords Emperors, who just let us pass without attacking us. It felt like the world was finally saved, but the time to lead people the right way had not ceased. With people's negativity, the Ener-D started a destructive reverse rotation, causing the network to choose a destructive path. The Meklord Emperors began exploding and causing destruction. A group of people fell down a chasm and begged for Yusei's, or my, help. I tried catching a woman by the hand, but she slipped and fell. Another explosion threw me back and caused my helmet to fall off. The device on my head began to crackle. I knew then that I could no longer save people and crumpled the Shooting Star Dragon card." He then returned to the present. "I then came to this conclusion: In order to save the world, the Ener-D which was caused by your father must be obliterated along with New Domino City."

"For that to happen, so many people will be sacrificed. Do you really think that the future will be saved that way? Is it okay as long as just the people of the future are saved and you let these people die instead?" I asked. "I'm not going to let that happen. I will find a way to save everyone."

"You still don't get it," Z-One retorted. "Even if you appear in the future, the future cannot be saved. I know because I had your power and was unable to save it, leaving me no choice but to destroy the city. Now how about we get on with our duel?"

"Fine," I agreed and drew my card. "I set a card and end my turn."

Z-One drew his card. "Now it's my standby phase, and that means Zadion, Zaphion, and Kamion, return to my deck." The cards were removed from the field. "I wouldn't feel success just yet. "Since Zaphion was removed from the field, it lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand. I only have one at the moment, meaning I get four more. I had said it wouldn't be as you had thought it would." He drew his cards. "I have drawn a new Timelord."

"I knew you would have an extra card," I told him. "I activate Insightful Cards of Reversal! Since you drew a card outside of your draw phase, I get to draw until I have the same amount of cards in my hand as you. And I bet my future that my draw will result in a reversal." I drew my cards. "Since Scouting Warrior (Attack 1000/ Defense 1000) was added to my hand by an effect, I can special summon it in defense mode. I then special summon Steam Synchron since I monster was just special summoned to my side of the field. And now the effect of Steam Synchro lets me synchro summon during my opponent's turn. So I tune Scouting Warrior with Steam Synchron! The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life. Synchro summon! A regal birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon (Attack 2100/ Defense 3000)!" Luna's dragon came to the field in defense mode.

"Do you really think that kind of weak play will work against me?" Z-One asked. "From my hand, I activate the trap card, Empress' Crown. It can be activated when my opponent synchro summons and allows me to draw two cards for each synchro monster you control." He drew his card. "By summoning a synchro monster, you have just come closer to death. I will erase your potential! I use the effect of Endless Emptiness to special summon five Timelord monsters: Michion the Timelord (Attack 0/ Defense 0), Hailon the Timelord (Attack 0/ Defense 0), Raphion the Timelord (Attack 0/ Defense 0), Gabrion the Timelord (Attack 0/ Defense 0), and Sandaion the Timelord (Attack 4000/ Defense 0)!"

' _He summoned five Timelords at once?'_ I thought stunned.

"You will not be able to save the city, no matter what you do," Z-One told me.


	75. Evolution

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 75**

 **Evolution**

Yusei's POV

Z-one has just used the effect of "Endless Emptiness" to Summon five "Timelord" monsters: "Michion", "Hailon", "Raphion", "Gabrion" and "Sandaion". The effect of "Endless Emptiness" causes them to have 0 ATK and their' effects prevents them from being destroyed.

"You need to realize you won't be able to save the city. Michion, attack Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Z-One ordered.

' _There are five Timelord monsters and I can only block one attack with Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. And since I don't know the effect of Michion, it could cause me to lose. Wait, Z-One claimed to be my future self…'_ I thought and then realized it. I opted not to use Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, so the effect of Michion activated, halving my life points which brought me down to 750. Once again I was knocked out of control, but managed to maneuver it back onto a safe course.

"Hailon, attack!" Z-One ordered.

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" I called negating the attack. It then returned face down.

"The effect of Hailon would have inflicted damage to you equal to the difference between our life points. Had you used Scrap-Iron Scarecrow soon, you would have lost. Why did you not use Scrap-Iron Scarecrow beforehand?" Z-One questioned.

"You claim to be me and if I was in that situation, I would have used the first monster to set the situation and let the second monster make the attack," I explained.

"I can still attack three more times, Yusei. Can you withstand it?" Z-One asked.

"For the sake of the city, I will," I answered.

"Raphion, attack Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Z-One continued.

"I activate Synchro Believer from my hand. When a synchro monster I control is attacked, Synchro Believer (Attack 100/ Defense 100) can negate the attack and special summon itself from my hand," I defended and it was summoned while the attack and Raphion's effect were negated.

"The effect of Raphion returns the monster it battled to the owner's hand and inflicts damage equal to the monster's attack, so you have saved yourself once again," Z-One explained. "Gabrion, attack Ancient Fairy Dragon! The effect of Gabrion returns all cards you control to your deck. You no longer have a way of defending yourself." My monsters and card were sent away. "Now, Sandaion, attack!" I was hit with its zero attack blast, but Z-One called, "Sandanion effect now activates. It will inflict 4000 points of damage to you." The attack hit and there was an explosion. "In the end, it looks like you were unable to save this world."

"It's not over yet," I called and the smoked cleared, revealing Power Tool Dragon on my side of the field.

"How is that possible?" Z-One asked.

"When the effect of Sandaion activated, I activated Synchron Keeper from my hand. The effect of Synchron Keeper negated the damage and by removing it and a tuner monster in my graveyard from play, I was able to special summon a synchro monster with a level to their combined."

"Although you were able to withstand many of attack, the Divine Temple will soon collide with the New Domino City and destroy Ener-D," Z-One.

A building from the Divine Temple fell just above me. I pulled back to avoid it and watched it hit the city below me. "You are right. I must hurry up for everyone's safety."

"I'm certain, then, you are now feeling that same pressure of holding onto people's fate. I once was the same. When I unable to fulfill all of it, my despair was very deep. That is why I have come to this time; In order to save everyone, I must sacrifice some people. The thought of saving both the present and the future is your belief," Z-One stated. "I set one card and end my turn." We looked at the single card in my hand, Z-One luckily unable to see what it is. "One card, Yusei. What will you do with it?"

' _I have Power Tool Dragon and this card. On Z-One's next turn, the Timelord monsters will return to his deck and since he has no cards in his hand, if he doesn't draw a Timelord, there won't be any of them to block my path to victory,'_ I thought. _'I can do this.'_ With that, I began my turn.

"I send Endless Emptiness to my graveyard to activate Infinite Light! This prevents the effect of the Timelord monsters that returns them to the deck," Z-One played. "And with Endless Emptiness' effect gone, the effect that reduces their attack to 0 is gone as well. And you know that means Sandaion goes back to its original attack (Sandaion the Timelord: Attack 4000). You now have no chance of winning."

The Divine Temple collided with the building in the center of the city and chunks and debris began to fall off into various parts of the city. I got hit by a bit of rubble, causing me to drop my card. I swerve to grab it through the falling debris, and manage to catch it. However, I was then hit by a larger piece and knocked off my runner.

As I fell, I thought, _'Is there really no way for me to save everyone?'_ I closed my eyes a bit. _'I'm sorry.'_

Suddenly, a light hit me and sent me somewhere. When I was woken up, I heard my father's voice calling me.

I asked, "Am I lost?"

"The duel isn't over yet," Father told me.

I tried standing up, but couldn't. "It's impossible. My body won't move."

"Don't give up, Yusei," he encouraged.

"I fought will all my might, but this time it's impossible. I can no longer fight," I stated.

Suddenly, my father slapped me in the face. "You still have work to do. Like how the Planetary Gear links gear to gear, you must connect people's feelings. The end you will reach a new stage; that is your role."

I smiled a bit and said, "You really are strict." I stood up. "Thanks for bringing me to my senses. I'll go back to where my friends are and fight without giving up."

"That's my son," Father responded. "Believe in the future. Even when future events will frighten you, you must believe it'll end well. This is the last time I will be able to help you."

I tried to grab him as he began to disappear, calling, "Wait, what events could frighten me like that other than now?"

"It is the event which you have been dreading for so long," Father replied. "I will always be by your side."

"Wait!" I called but it was too late and he was gone.

I returned to reality, where I was still falling. I turned a bit shocked as Jayla grabbed me while my runner rushed over to me. Jayla set me on my runner. She hugged me tight and said, "I'm staying by your side now."

I gave a small nod. I was beginning to realize something though, _'The event my father mentioned…'_

I flew towards Z-One, Jayla staying right by my side with her wings. "The fight isn't over yet," I told my opponent. I drew my card. "First, I summon Turbo Synchron (Attack 100/ Defense 500). Now I tune Turbo Synchron with Power Tool Dragon." Both mine and Leo's marks lit up. "In order to protect the future of the planet, courage and power goes revolution. Synchro summon! Evolve, Life Stream Dragon (Attack 2900/ Defense 2400)!" Leo's Signer dragon came to the field, no doubt with Life within it. Leo's dragon nodded at me with respect and assurance. "Now the effect of Life Stream Dragon activates, it raises by life points to 2000." My life points went up to the said amount.

"It's useless. It's fated that this city will perish along with Ener-D for a bright future," Z-One stated.

"Is this future really bright? If Ener-D disappears and human evolution become engulfed by greed and temptation, what difference is there between it and the future you came from? Is the world considered saved that way?" I asked. "In order to save the future, everyone's hearts must go in the right direction and have the future which can be changed alongside Ener-D. With no present, the future cannot be saved. Isn't that right?" Z-One stayed silent for the moment. "In order to save the world, I will find a new stage." I then thought, _'My father told me I needed to connect people's hearts. Everyone is depending on me,'_ I looked at Jayla, _'especially Jayla. Everyone, give me strength…'_ I began to hear everyone's voices. _'I can hear everyone. I'm not holding onto faith alone; everyone in the city is supporting me and giving me strength.'_ I flew upwards with Jayla keeping close. _'In order to surpass my limit and pass it again, my strength alone is not alone enough. I must connect Team 5Ds bonds. Bruno said I can find it. And I've found it, Bruno.'_ I flew up above Earth's surface with Jayla's sticking close to me.

I called, "I activate the Speed Spell- Synchro Panic! Since I have more than seven Speed Counters, this lets me summon as many synchro monsters as possible from my extra deck that were used in the duel with their effects negated and their attack reduced to zero. So I summon Ancient Fairy Dragon (Attack 2100/ Defense 3000), Black Rose Dragon (Attack 2400/ Defense 1800), Black-Winged Dragon (Attack 2800/ Defense 1600), and Red Dragon Archfiend (Attack 3000/ Defense 3000)! Now using the effect of Life Stream Dragon, I can change the level of all my other synchro monsters to one (Red Dragon Archfiend, Black-Winged Dragon, Black Rose Dragon, Ancient Fairy Dragon: Level 1). Jack, Crow, Akiza, Luna, Leo, in order to save the future, I will connect our bonds." All our marks began to glow before they appeared on my back, forming the full Mark of the Crimson Dragon.

"Do it, Yusei," Jayla told me. "I'll be ready."

I nodded as both my runner and I turned gold. "I am at a new stage, Over Top Clear Mind." The Crimson Dragon flew passed me as I called, "Now I tune my four level one dragons to Life Stream Dragon! When concentrated stars become one, new bonds will shine upon the future. Become the path its light shines upon. Limit Over Accel Synchro. The Light of Evolution, Shooting Quasar Dragon (Attack 4000/ Defense 4000)!" Jayla disappeared from beside me and I knew she had become part of my new dragon. I supposed it was still Stardust Dragon in a way. I flew back to the surface with Shooting Quasar Dragon and told Z-One, "This is Team 5Ds' final stage and our evolution's proof!"


	76. Combination of Their Power

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 76**

 **Combination of Their Power**

Yusei's POV

I had just returned to the city with my new dragon, ready to duel Z-One. "This is Team 5Ds' final stage and our evolution's proof," I told Z-One

"Limit Over Accel Synchro never existed in the history I came from," Z-One commented, astonished.

"I will protect the people important to me and the city I was born in," I vowed. "Now let's continue the duel."

"Timelord monsters cannot be destroyed and I take no battle damage. Regardless of how many monsters you summon, you cannot defeat the Timelord monsters," Z-One told me.

"I don't think so," I disagreed. "Shooting Quasar Dragon can negate a negation effect when it battles. So it can negate the Timelords' effect that negate their destruction in battle. Shooting Quasar Dragon can also negate all effect damage, is unaffected by monster effects, and can attack once for each synchro material monster used to summon it." Five orbs appeared around my new dragon, each of them representing one of its synchro material. Four of the orbs take form of Red Dragon Archfiend, Black Rose Dragon, Black-Winged Dragon, and Ancient Fairy Dragon and attacked Michion, Hailon, Raphion, and Gabrion, taking them out. "Shooting Quasar Dragon, launch that final attack and take out Sandaion!" Sandaion fought back with an equally strong blast. The two attacks collided, causing an explosion and destroying both monsters.

"So you took out the Timelord monsters," Z-One commented annoyed. "However, that attack was suicide since your monster has also been destroyed." He looked up as the smoke cleared, revealing Shooting Star Dragon on my field.

"When Shooting Quasar Dragon is destroyed, I can special summon Shooting Star Dragon (Attack 3300/ Defense 2500) in its place," I explained. "Now Shooting Star Dragon, attack Z-One directly! Stardust Mirage!" The attack hit, dropping him to 700 life points and knocking him off course into a building.

I flew over to where Z-One crashed and said, "Now I'm using the effect of Speed World 2. By removing seven speed counters, I can draw a card." I looked at it and it struck me as I saw what card it was. "I set a card face down and end my turn."

"I am the last human. In order to save the future, I have endured long suffering. For that, I have the right to change history," Z-One claimed.

"You don't. Nobody has that right," I argued.

"Are you denying my existence?" Z-One asked.

"If the future is how you have described it, then maybe despair is waiting for us. But even to save the world, nobody has the right to take away people's futures," I retorted. "The possibility of saving the future lies in the hands of the living people. Why are you not trying to believe in that?"

"I no longer have time to do that," he replied. He shot a blast of white light out of the building where he crashed. He flew along the white path and stopped in front of me. "I shall show that the possibility you are talking about is pointless in front of you." He began his turn. The three rings from Infinite Light lined up and created a blue beam passing through them. Strong winds picked up around it and lightning struck. Spikes started to protrude from the blue beam. "Watch closely as this is my true power." The blue beam took form of a tree. On its branches and roots were ten circles. "Infinite Light has another effect that can be activated after ten different Timelord monsters have been normal or special summoned." The tree began to now appear as the Kabbalah tree diagram and the god cards started appearing in the ten circles, which are each numbered. Z-One then began to chant, "Within the light of freedom where the Temporal Machine Gods were born, there is a hidden Da'at where only the chosen ones can venture. The source of nothingness and existence, the ultimate Timelord that was born from infinite light, Sephylon the Ultimate Timelord (Attack 4000/ Defense 4000)!" The monster rose to the field. I noticed my Shooting Star Dragon was preparing to protect me if needed. "I activate the effect of Sephylon to special summon as many Timelord monsters as possible and make their attack 4000. So now I special summon Metaion, Sadion, Gabrion, and Sandaion (All 'Timelord's Summoned: Attack 4000)!" The five Timelord monsters surrounded me and Shooting Star Dragon got a bit closer to me, protectively.

' _Jayla…'_ I thought. It was almost like her old Dragon Protector self was beginning to come back. But at the same time, she was still how I had known her recently. Maybe it was just her becoming more protective of me after Sherry's initial words of me dying.

Z-One then called, bringing my attention back to the duel, "Now Sephylon also gains attack equal to all my other Timelord monsters (Sephylon the Ultimate Timelord: Attack 20,000)." I tensed a bit, but didn't give much response. "The long battle we have had is now coming to its end. With this, the world shall be saved through the destruction of New Domino City. Sephylon, attack Shooting Star Dragon! Akashic Storm! And this effect negates the effects of your Shooting Star Dragon, so it cannot negate the attack. Farewell, Yusei. Disappear!"

I emerged from the attack okay and I stated, "I have not given up on my future yet." I revealed my card, "I activated my trap card Converging Wishes. When Shooting Star Dragon is destroyed by battle, it reduces the damage to zero and lets me synchro summon Stardust Dragon by removing the appropriate synchro material monsters in my graveyard from play. Now I tune Power Tool Dragon with Turbo Synchron! Gathering wishes will become a new shining star. Become the path its light shines upon. Synchro summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon (Attack 2500/ Defense 2000)!"

"Just what are you trying to do?" Z-One asked. "Stardust Dragon has but 2500 attack points, while my four Timelord monsters have 4000 attack and Sephylon has 20,000 attack."

"Stardust Dragon is the combined form of Team 5Ds and the citizen's wishes. Another effect of Converging Wishes activates. With it, Stardust Dragon gains attack equal to that of all dragon-type synchro monsters in my graveyard. I currently have seven: Shooting Star Dragon, Shooting Quasar Dragon, Life Stream Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, Black-Winged Dragon, Ancient Fairy Dragon, and Black Rose Dragon." An orb representing each of the dragons travelled from my graveyard into Jayla's dragon form, causing it to grow and increasing its attack to 23,000. "And now I activate the last effect of Converging Wishes. By returning synchro monsters from my graveyard to my extra deck, I can force one of your monsters to attack. And I choose, Sephylon the Ultimate Timelord. And since I only control Stardust Dragon, Sephylon will have to attack it."

"By removing the other Timelord monsters from play, I can prevent Sephylon from being destroyed and prevent myself from taking battle damage," Z-One fought and a shield formed of the four other Timelords in front of Sephylon.

First, I returned Ancient Fairy Dragon to my extra deck, forcing Sephylon to attack Stardust. Stardust was strong, so the counterattacks formed an image of Ancient Fairy Dragon and removed Metaion's portion of the field. With Ancient Fairy Dragon and Metaion gone, the attack of Stardust Dragon dropped 20,900 and Sephylon's attack dropped to 16,000.

Then I returned Life Stream Dragon. It took off Sadion's portion of the field and dropped our monsters' attack to 18,000, and 12,000.

I then followed with Black Rose Dragon. This took out Gabrion and its portion of the shield. Meanwhile, Stardust Dragon's attack fell to 15,600 and Sephylon's dropped to 8000.

Then it was onto Black-Winged Dragon which struck Sandaion's portion. Sandaion was taken down easily. Stardust's attack fell to 12,800 and Sephylon's attack fell to 4000.

Lastly, I removed Red Dragon Archfiend and Sephylon's portion of the shield was take out. With Stardust Dragon still having 9800 attack left.

"This is my last attack," I stated. _'Everyone is relying on me, including my father, Jack, Crow, Akiza, Leo, Luna, Sherry, Elsworth , Lazar, the MC, Trudge, Mina, Dragan, Broder, Halldor, Kaz, other Securities, Carly, the Cafe la Geen owner, Martha, Blister, Atsuko, Kaoru, Mitch, Taka, John, Hikari, Kokoro, Taiga, Ginga, Daichi, Lyndon, Zora, Nervin, Rally, Tank, Blitz, Yanagi, Tanner, Larry, Lenny, Lug, Hunter, Dexter, Greiger, Setsuko, Hideo, Kalin, Misty, Roman, Rex, Sly, Patty, Bob, Heitmann, Nico, West, Bolten, Rick, Max, Annie, Yoshizo, Jinbei, Taro, Aporia, Paradox and Bruno,'_ I thought. I then told Z-One, "Take on our future!" Beams of energy from all over the planet travelled towards Stardust Dragon. "Our wishes shall become the path that lights up the future. Stardust Dragon, attack!" Jayla in her dragon form launched a powerful Shooting Sonic at Sephylon, destroying it and many of Z-One's mechanical parts.

"It's impossible for me to lose!" Z-One stated as his life points dropped to zero. The remaining portion of his mask broke away and parts of him exploded.


	77. One Last Wish

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Chapter 77**

 **One Last Wish**

Yusei's POV

I spotted Z-One falling through the sky. _'Bruno wanted me to save the world and save Z-One,'_ I remembered.

The Ener-D in the Divine Temple went out and the temple stopped moving downwards. However, the buildings on it started to break off and fall towards the city. My team and friends ran to their runners to try and get to safety, but the ground below them collapsed and they started to fall. However, much to my relief, the Crimson Dragon appeared. I also noticed Life hurrying to get to his new master.

I turned and landed my duel runner where Z-One had crash landed. I rushed over to Z-One and asked, "Are you okay?"

I tried to help Z-One as Jayla came beside me, but he told me, "It's no use. The device that prolongs my life will soon shut down. It is okay since my life was already at its limit. The truth is, I wanted the future that you were going to change, but no longer had time to do that."

His mouth started to bleed, so I immediately told him, "Don't talk."

"I was lonely, but by remembering the bonds I had with my comrades… Paradox, Aporia, and Antinomy… I tried to fight alone. Were the things I did wrong?" Z-One asked.

I shook my head. "All you were doing was trying to open up your own future. Now the warning that you gave out have been inscribed in the people's hearts. As long as they don't forget them, the future will change."

"In the final moment of my life, I was able to watch you open a new future," Z-One stated. "You can lead the people to this future."

After feeling a tremor from the Divine Temple, I said, "I have one more thing to do."

"Are you planning on dying?" Z-One asked making me pause.

"In order to make the Divine Temple rise back up, I have to attach an Ener-D rotating in a positive direction. That's my final role to the city," I told him. Z-One closed his eyes. "Jayla, get to the others. Make sure they're safe."

"Absolutely not," she refused. "I promised you and the others I would make sure you stayed alive. I'm doing that."

"Jayla, you can't stop this. You know that," I argued.

She looked away and told me, "Do you really think the Crimson Dragon brought me back because you alone were suffering?"

I paused. _'She couldn't mean she was suffering the same pain I was, could she?'_ I thought. I then remembered her saying that after she died to the Immortals, she was trapped between worlds. _'She was watching me suffer all that time. And that made her suffer… And if I died, she would be suffering just as much, if not more.'_ I shook my head. "Jayla, I can't run from this."

"Yusei, I have the positive Ener-D rotation of the Crimson Dragon in me, still," she told me.

I immediately knew where she was going. "That's not happening, Jayla," I told her. "We don't have time for this." I got on my runner. But before I could take off, she got on behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Jayla…"

"The only reason I ever had to coming back was being by your side again. If I can't do that, I have no other reason to live again," she responded, tucking her face against my back. "So let's do this. Save the world together, one last time."

I didn't like it. But I didn't want her suffering a different fate. To be honest with myself, I was somewhat comforted having her by my side for this. We saved the world once together. If we had to do that again, at least we would be together when this all ended. I gave a small nod and we took off, flying to the top of the Divine Temple where I had previously entered.

Third Person POV

The rest of Team 5Ds and Sherry were transported to the outskirts of New Domino City. They were quick to realize they were saved by the Crimson Dragon.

Sherry then pointed out, "The Divine Temple has stopped."

"But Yusei's still inside it," Akiza realized.

"The future where Yusei dies may not have been changed," Sherry commented worried.

"That's impossible," Akiza noted.

"Z-One's defeat should have changed that future," Jack added.

"Wait, Jayla's not here, either," Crow commented.

"Will _both_ of them die then?" Leo asked shocked and worried.

"Yusei, Jayla!" Luna called with her twin.

Yusei's POV

Jayla and I flew through the chute towards the old Ener-D reactor. Suddenly, though, Z-One broke through the wall and joined us. He explained, "Inside my body, I am equipped with the same Ener-D you have. I will insert it into the negative rotating Ener-D. Yusei, you have been entrusted with a new future and must live on. Take care of Jayla." He grabbed me and Jayla with one of his large hands and threw us back up the chute.

The Ener-D on the Divine Temple lit up and started to lift upwards away from the city. I continued my flight out of the temple, dodging loose chunks which had fallen down the chute. I was worried, especially since Jayla was using her power again to help with the debris. She wasn't strong enough yet to be doing what she was doing, and that worried me to no end.

Whatever my father had hinted at when I saw him, I knew it had something to do with Jayla. I wasn't about to let anything happen to her. If it was going to frighten me that it would risk me not believing in the future anymore, I knew that it would tear me to shreds this time if it happened. I was never going to let Jayla leave me again. And I knew now for a certain fact, Jayla was never going to let me leave without her.

I gently grabbed her hand that was around my waist. I looked as the falling debris started to close in on us. I utilized all of my strength to make my duel runner go faster and dodge the debris.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally came out of the Divine Temple just as it left the Earth. I noticed the sky began to clear as I did making me relieved. That's when I saw my friends began to call out and wave to me from the outskirts of the city. I made my way to them.

But I turned towards Jayla, alarmed as I heard her whimper in pain and felt her hands grab mine tight. I landed fast and brought Jayla into my lap, looking at her concerned. The other hurried over.

"What happened?" Crow asked.

"I'm not sure," I answered. We had just left the temple when she started this.

Life ran over and began to sense her. "The Immortals…" he growled as he got over to where her stone was.

"What're they doing now?" Jack asked. "Trying to control her again?"

"No," he answered. "The overwhelming positive energy gained by Shooting Quasar Dragon and all that energy put into her while in those forms during the duel is nearly strong enough to expel the Earthbound Immortals. But it still isn't enough. But this also means, she is now more of a threat to the Immortals than she is a tool. They're trying to destroy her stone."

"What?!" I responded alarmed. Now I understood my father's warning. He was warning me that Jayla was going to die! "Life, is there anything I can do to save her?" I thought in worried fright, _'My last wish that would mean more than the world to me is to have Jayla by my side. There has to be a way to save her. If I lost her…'_

"The power she gained may not be enough to expel the Immortals alone, but it is a great deal," Life stated. "With the Crimson Dragon's help and power, it is possible that could destroy the Immortals before they kill her. But this has to be done fast."

"Wait, how do you know this and none of the others ever have?" Jack asked.

"None of the others ever knew there was a power like Limit Over Accel Synchro and that energy could be gained enough like this," Life explained. "I didn't even realize this would be possible until I felt the energy within her. But now's not the time to be discussing this." He felt for her stone again. "We need to get the help. Now."

I focused with everything I had. I sent every ounce of my energy into my mark and the others' marks lit up as well. The full Crimson Dragon mark appeared on my back and I silently called to the Crimson Dragon, _'Please help me… Help me save Jayla…'_

" _I am here, Yusei. And I will help you,"_ came a female voice inside my head. I looked at my body began to give a bright, red glow.

Life then said, "She's giving you what she can. Yusei place your hand over where Jayla's stone is and focus."

I nodded and did as I was told. I closed my eyes and sent the energy into her. I heard the others gasp a bit in shock, no doubt a bright light being sent from this. I could've sworn I heard seven dark voices screaming in fury and pain.

' _Get out of Jayla!'_ I ordered in my head, doubting they could even hear me. I then thought to myself, _'This has to save Jayla; It has to! This is my last wish; The last thing I would ever wish in my life. So please, Jayla, stay with me.'_


	78. Epilogue

**A/N: I OWN NOTHING! EVERY BIT OF YU GI OH 5DS GO TO THEIR CREATORS! THE ONLY THING I OWN IS MY OCS!**

 **Epilogue**

Third Person POV

It had been seven long months since Z-One's defeat and the Divine Temple departed the Earth. So many things had changed in that time: A new city hall was being built and a mayor inauguration was going to take place as Lazar being the new mayor, which also meant the Sector Security Bureau was done. Akiza was preparing to graduate Duel Academy soon. Crow was a part of Sector Security at the time. Jack was back to pro dueling. And Yusei was leading a new team of operators working on the Planetary Gear.

At the moment, Yusei was at the lab getting ready to start up the project called "Fortune". His crew performed a system check and reported normal functionality. One of the operator reported that Ener-D and the energy gearing system were functioning properly and asked Yusei to enter the last code.

Yusei typed "GOOD DAYS" into a computer and the program started up. Again no abnormalities were detected. The operators at the four stations stood up and jubilantly applauded Yusei on the completion of Fortune. Among them was Zigzix, who pirouetted around ecstatically.

Yusei turned as Lazar entered the lab. "Congratulations, Dr. Fudo," the new mayor greeted.

"I'm not a doctor, nowhere near that level," Yusei responded.

"Perhaps," Lazar agreed truthfully. "But I believe you will be in the future and you will be so incredible. I'm sure you'll even surpass your father. With Fortune, New Domino's lifeline will be assimilated, leading the city's functions in the right direction. We are now linked to cities around the world, and as the leader, New Domino will be managing the others."

"The future Z-One mentioned probably won't happen now," Yusei predicted.

"That's all thanks to you, Yusei," Lazar responded.

"It was because everybody was there to help me. We were an amazing team," Yusei responded.

Lazar smiled. "Your form of speech about teamwork and friendship hasn't changed. That's just the type of thing you'd say. It reminds me how you once said there is no human who is unneeded or useless. With that belief, you were able to make New Domino City free from Yliaster's curse. With that, the city will truly find freedom," he responded. "Now, I apologize for disturbing you. Please, go through the future you must go through. Althought, in truth, I wish your future went with New Domino City." Yusei looked mildly surprised and Lazar apologized again, saying, "I have said too much. Excuse me." He left with that.

Yusei then received a call on one of the computers. He answered it to a woman who said, "There is a communication from Crow."

"Thanks," Yusei responded and entered another room where a video chat with Crow was opened.

Crow then said with slight frustration, "I had some trouble getting in contact with you. Were you busy?"

"I was, but we managed to finally complete the mainframe," Yusei answered.

"Nice!" Crow congratulated amazing.

"How are things on your end?" Yusei checked.

"Trudge has us going around in circles. I don't even have free time to sleep," Crow answered. "But for someone who is marked being allowed to manage things, the city has changed a lot."

"We've changed it and will be making the future from now on," Yusei told him.

"Yeah, that's true," Crow agreed. "With the bonds of Team 5Ds, we'll be lighting up the future."

Yusei looked at Crow, who looked a bit confused and wistful, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," his friend answered.

"What is it, Crow?" Yusei persisted. "You called because you had something to tell me."

"That's not really it. It's more I haven't seen you in a long time. I wanted to see your face for once, Crow answered.

"How about the two of us meet up with everyone and have a meal on the weekend?" Yusei suggested.

"Sounds great, I'll tell everyone," Crow responded. "But there is one problem."

"Is it Jack?" Yusei asked. "Is it still impossible to contact him?"

"I have no idea what Jack is up to," Crow answered. "I'll send him mail at least. But does Jack really understand our bonds?"

"We'll find out," Yusei answered.

"How have you been? You know, with Jayla…" Crow asked.

"I've been fine," Yusei replied. "Worried, but fine. I'll be checking on her after I leave here."

"You do that every day," Crow responded. "Do you actually ever go home? I know you work and then you go to Jayla, but I never see you at the garage."

"It's just hard to be anywhere without her. After so long of being close to her like that and now she's… it's just hard, Crow," Yusei told him sadly.

"I understand that," he assured. "If anything happens, let us know."

"I will," Yusei agreed.

"Now, I have to go," Crow told him. "I'll see ya."

"See ya, Crow," Yusei responded before they hung up.

He sighed in sadness a bit. Jayla had been on his mind ever since the Immortals went to kill her.

He looked at the time and sighed in relief. His shift was over. _'Now I can go check on Jayla,'_ he thought. He said goodbye to his friends for the time being and got into his riding clothes he always had to the side. With that, he walked out.

He got on his duel runner and hurried towards where Jayla lay resting: New Domino Hospital. He said hello to the nurses here and there and hurried to Jayla's room. He entered slowly and found Jayla still on the bed.

He sat next to the bed and looked at her with worried eyes. Her heart monitor gave a steady heartbeat. Though she didn't have a true heart, the stone still acted like one to their medical equipment. An IV was in her arm for nutrients. She had been in a coma since the Earthbound Immortals nearly destroyed her stone. She hadn't budged or many a sound. If Yusei didn't know better, he would've thought she was dead.

Yusei reached over and gently held her cheek. It was warm, another helpful indicator that she was alive. He then slowly grabbed her hand and held it in his hands, eyes closed as he leaned his forehead against the hand. Sometimes he spent the night at his home. But most nights, he spent at the hospital in hopes she would wake up then. He wanted to be there when she woke up.

By what Life told them, the Earthbound Immortals were completely out of her system. She was free from their curse. So he was certain there wouldn't be any risks of her panicking when she woke up from the Immortals trying to control her again.

He was wanting her to wake up so he could tell her about so many things: Her freedom, the new changes to the city, the new future ahead of them. But that wasn't the only reason he wanted her awake: He had something he wanted to ask her. But he could wait a few weeks after she awoke to ask her it. Added to that, it was her twentieth birthday today. Yusei's had turned twenty about three months after Z-One was defeated. But he wanted to tell her happy birthday. She always hated it when he told her that when the others were around. But most of the time, he was the only one here since the others were so busy.

"Yusei?" came a groggy, familiar voice. He slowly looked up, not sure if he heard it. But when he saw those familiar brown eyes tiredly staring into his.

"Jayla…" he whispered back, relief clear in his voice and eyes, but he kept the tears of joy from visibility. He gently held her cheek again. "You're finally awake."

"What happened? How long have I been out?" she asked.

"Right after we left the Divine Temple, the Earthbound Immortals began to try to destroy your stone," Yusei explained and she went a bit wide eyed. "With the help of the Crimson Dragon and Life, we managed to save you and finally get the Immortals out of your system. But you've been in a coma since the Immortals tried to kill you, which is about seven months."

"Seven months?" she asked. He gave a small nod. "What's happened in that time?"

"A lot," Yusei answered. "I can explain everything once you're able to move around better."

She tried to sit up and Yusei went to set her back on her back again, knowing she needed the rest, but she leaned into his chest. He didn't even hesitate to sit on the edge of her bed and hold her against his chest while she set a hand on his heart. He leaned his head against the top of her head and closed his eyes in peace. When she was still in a coma, the doctors told him he shouldn't move her like this until she woke up. And now that she was, it sent every sense of relief and happiness to be able to hold her like this again.

"I missed you, Jayla," Yusei whispered. She gave a small nod.

A nurse walked in and questioned, "She finally woke up?" Yusei nodded. "Let me get a doctor to check her over real quick and see how long it'll be before she can leave."

"Thanks," Yusei told her and she nodded with a smile before walking out. He looked at his lover. "You doing okay, Jayla?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Still a bit groggy from waking up after seven months, but I'm fine."

"You're free from the Immortals now and a new future is in front of us, so it'll definitely be fine from now on," Yusei told her.

"Sounds good," she responded with a small smile.

The doctor soon came in to check her over. Yusei let him do a few routine checks and had her try to walk a bit. She stumbled for a few seconds at first having not walked at all in three months, but it didn't take long before she was back to normal walking wise.

Eventually the doctor had finished his analysis and check up and stated as he had Jayla sit down again, "She actually seems to be in perfect health for being in a seven months coma. She should be free to go in the next couple days."

"Thanks," Yusei told him politely.

"Let us know if anything happens," the doctor told him. "And take care of her, Mr. Fudo. After this, I'm sure she needs you."

"Will do," Yusei agreed and the doctor walked out with that. The Signer soon sat next to Jayla who leaned against his shoulder. He wrapped his left arm around his girlfriend's waist and slowly stroked Jayla's hair with his right hand. "I can't tell you how happy I am you're awake."

"I guess it is a relief to be awake for once after three months," Jayla agreed. There was a small silence, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. After a bit, she asked, "What's in your pocket?"

"Hm?"

"Earlier, before the doctor came in, I thought I felt something in your pocket," Jayla explained. "It was small and round."

"I'll tell you about it when you're up and moving around more," he answered.

"Is it a surprise?" she answered curiously.

"Yeah," Yusei answered, trying to hold down his blush.

"I just woke up and you're going to torture me with waiting for a few days on this?" Jayla asked, giving him an annoyed face. "You know I don't like surprises."

"Perhaps," Yusei agreed, "but you'll just have to wait." Jayla groaned. Yusei couldn't help but laugh a bit. "You're kind of acting like I would as a kid when I got something like this."

"We aren't that different, Yusei," she responded with a small grin.

"Maybe that's what makes us such a good pair," he agreed, holding her cheek and giving her an actual kiss for the first time in so long. She responded in an instant. Yusei felt her begin to sneak into the pocket and touch the item. He grabbed her hand and looked at her. "You never give up, do you?"

"Neither do you," she replied with a grin. "Please, Yusei."

He gave a small smile and gently put the item into the palm of her hand, but kept his hand covering it. They pulled it out together and Jayla immediately smiled, able to tell what it was.

Yusei pulled off his hand to reveal it. It was a ring with a small, white diamond on top of a silver ring that had three tiny sapphire gems lined up on each time of the diamond. Jayla put it on immediately and kissed Yusei with as much love as she could give him.

When she pulled back, she stared into his eyes and whispered, "Yes." Yusei smiled before kissing her back, holding her close to him.

This was one change Yusei wanted and the change that would make him happier than he ever would be. Once she was out, they would tell the others. But for now, he just wanted this moment to last. He may have wanted to wait for a better place to give her the ring and ask, but she was as persistent as ever. Not that it shocked him.

Slowly, though, Yusei pulled back and told her, "Happy birthday, Jayla."

She gave a small laugh as she grabbed his hand gently. "Thanks, Yusei."

 **Alright, guys! This is the end of the Guardian series!**

 **I was having a big debate with how to end this story for the longest time. I am not joking about this: I was actually debating on killing her again. But, be happy I didn't, and now we have this happy ending.**

 **This ending was a bit tricky for me to write and I was off and on on things I wanted to do for it. But I tried for you my amazing and wonderful readers and I managed to write it. I hope you like this ending.**

 **Let me know what you thought of the ending, story, or the series in general through PMs and Reviews. I would love to hear your feedback! I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

 **Until the next story, readers!**

 **-bricann**


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